Breaking the political taboo on water supply and sanitation
Why has the world been unable to solve the water supply and sanitation crisis and what solutions will the international community of water experts propose? The "World Water Week" in Stockholm had a special focus on sanitation under the heading 'Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World'. The conference was characterised by agreement and pragmatism and emphasised the key role of political decision makers. .. (more)
53 Views,
Amor Serrano
Evo Morales has jumped over yet another hurdle this weekend. He has managed to secure a new vote of confidence from among the social movements and grassroots that constitute the loose coalition that is his political platform. This backing is what he needs to further advance his drive to transform Bolivia into a socialist state. But this is also an unfortunate step further into a vicious cycle of ideological polarisation from which, Latin American history says, one can only leave through violence and the absolute rejection of the past... (more)
301 Views,
Accra Agenda for Action: sound-bites or solutions?
Does the Accra Agenda for Action provide the solutions and momentum needed to accelerate progress towards the Paris Declaration or are we getting something rather plain and uninspiring? The answer may soon become clear as Ministers and participants of the HLF3 will officially receive the Accra Agenda for Action today to endorse in Accra. .. (more)
572 Views,
Is the WTO no-deal a big deal?
The trade talks have collapsed over the issue of Special Safeguard Measures (or SSMs) in agriculture. This was not even among the hottest negotiating issues. This suggests that the talks could (and probably would) have collapsed over any other (more controversial) issues. The bottom line is that the (real) interest for a far-reaching agreement to liberalise multilateral trade regimes has quickly been vanishing in the face of faltering global economy... (more)
821 Views,
Collapse of the WTO trade talks: A pity, and potentially a problem, but not a disaster
Is the first WTO Director-General Peter Sutherland right to call the collapse of the trade talks a 'disaster'? It would certainly have been better for world trade, world income, and most people in developing countries if the Doha negotiations had succeeded in producing a significant liberalisation in trade rules. But it has been clear for at least five years that a 'big' agreement was not possible, so the claims that several hundred billion dollars worth of potential world trade gains have been lost this week are not realistic. .. (more)
1172 Views,
The food crisis: are we making progress?
If every word written about the global food crisis were a grain of rice, hunger in the world would be a distant memory. But let’s not be cynical - there is cause for cautious optimism. Progress is being made on the policy front and the commitments are beginning to stack up. That does not mean the crisis is over. The food crisis has been testing our capacity for collective action this year, and we have not been entirely disappointed. .. (more)
1100 Views,
Mutual accountability isn't just about what happens 'over there'
As we wait for the final draft of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) to be published it seems a good time to take stock of what will be happening at the third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF3), which takes place in Accra, Ghana in the first week of September. A recent Commonwealth workshop to bring together senior finance officials from across the Commonwealth to prepare for HLF3 highlighted for me the potential that the HLF3 offers for moving the aid effectiveness agenda forward... (more)
939 Views,
What do developing countries want from the Doha Round?
The Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations is once again at a crucial juncture. But will it deliver for developing countries? As discussed in a new ODI paper, developing countries have varying interests in a final settlement at next week’s ministerial talks... (more)
794 Views,
Prelude to the Chronic Poverty Report 2008: Escaping poverty traps
It is clear that many of today's poor will simply stay poor, even if economic growth is sustained. They are caught in one or more of five poverty traps: insecurity of life or livelihood; weak citizenship status; living in a deprived area; experiencing social discrimination; or held back by poor quality work. The second international Chronic Poverty Report, launched next week, shows that the poorest can be included in progress. .. (more)
1123 Views,
From Gleneagles to Hokkaido: Monitoring G8 commitments on aid to Africa
In 2005, Africa was promised an additional $25 billion per year in aid. But has the G8 delivered? There is no simple answer, given the complex package of commitments. As we approach the Japanese G8 summit at Hokkaido in July, there is a dangerous dearth of concrete and accessible information in the public domain... (more)
1464 Views,
Reading between the lines. Is EU aid in trouble?
The EU Council meeting on 19 and 20 June represents an important marker in this year of the Call to Action on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There are some serious issues to consider, including the failure of European donors to meet their commitments on aid, both in terms of the levels of funding and in delivering harmonisation and alignment. Most importantly, however, the future of the MDG project itself will be debated... (more)
1315 Views,
Lessons from Latin America: Donors, democracy and development
Latin America is a laboratory of democratic governance and experimentation. As such, it is an important learning ground for other regions in the developing world. The challenge for donors is how to work with these weak democracies to harness their representative nature and their developmental potential. This means having to develop a deeper understanding of the political economy and context of the settings in which they are involved... (more)
1273 Views,
Reform of the International System: the momentum is building
The Commonwealth mini-Summit in London is the latest sign that reform of the international system is moving rapidly up the agenda. The Summit discussed reform of the UN, the Bretton Woods Institutions and global environmental governance. On all these, there is enthusiasm among Heads of Government for faster and better coordinated change... (more)
1446 Views,
Tackling inequality in Latin America: A report from the Organization of American States Private Sector Forum
While the Peruvian government has been busy figuring out how to talk about inequality and bold redistributive policies without scaring local and foreign investors and markets, the corporate sector has leap frogged them and is now – unlike the government – ready for radical policies. .. (more)
1189 Views,
Rome exceeded expectations; will the G8 do the same?
The Food Summit in Rome turned out better than expected. It was not derailed by Robert Mugabe. It survived the unedifying wrangling over a final communiqué. It gave the topic a good hearing. It confirmed some practical actions. And it passed the torch successfully to the G8 in Japan in July... (more)
1769 Views,
Watch YOUR space 2.0
In ’Watch YOUR Space’ I argued that open innovation would provide a new strategic solution for think tanks. I suggested the think net model as a way to keep think tanks on the cutting edge of production and communication of policy relevant, research-based.. (more)
1255 Views,
The food price crisis: another 'lost decade' for development?
The Food and Agriculture Organisation summit is a vital step in a process that will develop through a series of events in 2008, including the G8 in Hokkaido in July, and the UN Call to Action on the Millennium Development Goals, in New York in September. At this stage, the Rome summit must deliver four things... (more)
2642 Views,
The IMF Reform Package: Small progress towards increased representation for developing countries
In April, after several years of negotiation and discussion, the member states of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a governance reform package. The impetus for the reform was to ensure that the IMF maintains credibility and legitimacy with fast growing developing countries. It is, therefore, envisioned as a first step in a longer process of reform for the representation of developing countries in the IMF... (more)
1795 Views,
The importance – and absence – of good governance indicators
As governance indicators have proliferated in recent years, so has their use and the controversy that surrounds them. As more and more voices are pointing out, existing indicators – many of them developed and launched in the 1990s – have a number of flaws. This is particularly disquieting at a time when governance is at the very top of the development agenda. .. (more)
2215 Views,
Tackling the food price crisis: five steps
The word "crisis" is much abused. But the current food price crisis constitutes a genuine emergency. Urgency in tackling it is essential... (more)
3415 Views,
The aid story in 2008. What’s next?
2008 is turning into another of those milestone years for aid. A cluster of high level meetings are focusing international attention on the challenges around effective development assistance. This presents familiar challenges: how to scale-up, align and harmonise aid to support achievement of the MDGs by 2015. But what is crucially different is the global context in which this must now be achieved. .. (more)
3776 Views,
Watch YOUR space
Think tanks like ODI have traded successfully for decades on creating and sharing specialised knowledge by hot-housing groups of smart people. But they may not be able to do so for much longer. .. (more)
3510 Views,
The African Economic Partnership Agreements – what the details reveal
We have been busy working with the European Centre for Development Policy Management to analyse all the African interim Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).Our new report on the subject has been described as 'encyclopaedic' – another way of saying 'mind bogglingly complex'. If so, it reflects the character of the EPAs themselves. Absorbing all the detail, and identifying priorities for further in-depth country- and issue-specific work, will take time, but we have pinpointed some general themes... (more)
3270 Views,
Accra High Level Forum – Accountability before aspiration?
This proliferation of global health initiatives is ringing alarm bells in terms of the challenges for partner country leadership and transaction costs. So it was welcome news that the concept of "Health as a tracer sector" would be on the table at the Accra High Level Forum (HLF) in September 2008. But when we look at the agenda, why has health been relegated to one of three topics to be addressed in one of the nine round tables? .. (more)
3949 Views,
Moving beyond the rhetorical: Investing in gender equality to achieve the right to health
After decades of work to tackle gender disparities in healthcare, gender remains a significant factor in the poor health of millions around the globe.
Women account for the majority of the world’s poor, and being a poor woman carries serious health.. (more)
3235 Views,
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