This special issue of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) reflects on the journey towards participatory approaches in poverty reduction in China, focusing in particular on the transformations at the interface between the government and rural communities. The issue discusses why and how participatory approaches have been introduced, and why these approaches are useful for addressing issues of poverty in China. The articles show how development and poverty approaches continue to evolve in the specific Chinese political context and its ongoing governance changes, and in line with China’s unique ability to experiment with and pilot new approaches, pragmatically using international experience. This issue draws on case studies from internationally funded projects, including the Poor Rural Communities Development Project (PRCDP). It also includes other articles on participation in China, as well as relevant resources and tips for trainers.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Building Security: A Contribution to the Debate on Security Policy
Building Security describes that today’s security policy priorities in actual fact may be undermining opportunities for achieving a sustainable peace and security for all. This is particularly clear in the wake of the events of 9/11 and the so-called ‘war on terror’. Military actions are often prioritized the female part of the population are put further down the security policy agenda. http://www.kvinnatillkvinna.
World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development
The lives of girls and women have changed dramatically over the past quarter century. The pace of change has been astonishing in some areas, but in others, progress toward gender equality has been limited - even in developed countries.
This year's World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.
The Report also focuses on four priority areas for policy going forward: (i) reducing excess female mortality and closing education gaps where they remain, (ii) improving access to economic opportunities for women (iii) increasing women's voice and agency in the household and in society and (iv) limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.
http://econ.worldbank.org/
This year's World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.
The Report also focuses on four priority areas for policy going forward: (i) reducing excess female mortality and closing education gaps where they remain, (ii) improving access to economic opportunities for women (iii) increasing women's voice and agency in the household and in society and (iv) limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.
http://econ.worldbank.org/
Friday, 14 October 2011
Somalia: Aid agencies have scaled up efforts since the end of August
Aid agencies have been able to scale up activities in the last few weeks, despite widespread insecurity and restricted access to people in some parts of the country. The latest reports estimate that around two million people have now received food and other assistance since the famine was declared in July. This is a significant increase since August, when about 1.3 million people were receiving.
Innovative and sustainable housing solutions: Celebrating 25 years of the World Habitat Awards
This publication showcases a range of innovative and sustainable housing and habitat solutions from around the world as the Building and Social Housing Foundation celebrates the 25th anniversary of the World Habitat Awards. The publication features an analysis of key housing trends over the last 25 years, case studies highlighting award-winning practices, details of initiatives to promote the transfer of knowledge and good practice and a searchable index of previous winners and finalists of the Awards.
Levels & Trends in Child Mortality: 2011
The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) updates child mortality estimates annually for monitoring progress. This report presents the IGME’s latest estimates of under-five, infant and neonatal mortality and assesses progress towards MDG 4 at the country, regional and global levels.
What is the evidence of the impact of microfinance on the well-being of poor people?
The authors conclude that impact evaluations of microfinance tend to have low internal validity, not allowing for strong conclusions. While acknowledging that they treated the included studies very critically, they argue that there is no good evidence for the beneficent impact of microfinance on the well-being of poor people.
Two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in India and South Africa yield no convincing evidence on the positive impact of microfinance interventions on well-being. Microfinance interventions have an impact on business activities, but they affect well-being only indirectly. These RCTs find very few impacts on health, education and subjective well-being, or indirect indicators of well-being such as income or consumption expenditures. In conclusion, the evidence from the RCTs on the impact of microfinance interventions on the well-being of the poor is limited and inconclusive.
Two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in India and South Africa yield no convincing evidence on the positive impact of microfinance interventions on well-being. Microfinance interventions have an impact on business activities, but they affect well-being only indirectly. These RCTs find very few impacts on health, education and subjective well-being, or indirect indicators of well-being such as income or consumption expenditures. In conclusion, the evidence from the RCTs on the impact of microfinance interventions on the well-being of the poor is limited and inconclusive.
Dilemmas of Intervention Social Science for Stabilization and Reconstruction
Governments intervening in post-conflict states find themselves beset with numerous challenges and profound dilemmas: It is often unclear how best to proceed because measures that may improve conditions in one respect may undermine them in another. This volume reviews and integrates the scholarly social-science literature relevant to stabilization and reconstruction (S&R), with the goal of informing strategic planning at the whole-of-government level. The authors assert that S&R success depends on success in each of four component domains — political, social, security, and economic; the authors discuss each domain separately but emphasize their interactions and the idea that the failure of any component can doom S&R as a whole. The authors also focus on a number of dilemmas that intervenors in post-conflict states face — such as between short- and long-term goals and whether to work through or around the state's central government — and suggest how these dilemmas can be confronted depending on context. http://www.rand.org/content/
The State of Food Insecurity in the World: How does international price volatility affect domestic economies and food security?
Food price volatility featuring high prices is likely to continue and possibly increase, making poor farmers, consumers and countries more vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity, the United Nations' three Rome-based agencies said in the global hunger report.
Small, import-dependent countries, particularly in Africa, are especially at risk. Many of them still face severe problems following the world food and economic crises of 2006-2008, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2011" (SOFI), an annual flagship report which they jointly produced this year.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/
Small, import-dependent countries, particularly in Africa, are especially at risk. Many of them still face severe problems following the world food and economic crises of 2006-2008, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2011" (SOFI), an annual flagship report which they jointly produced this year.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/
Male circumcision for prevention of homosexual acquisition of HIV in men (Review)
The review employs clear inclusion criteria, and the authors conducted a comprehensive search. But although they use appropriate methods for analysis, there are some limitations. Of greatest importance, the evidence included in the review is described as ‘observational’, but, as the authors note, they do not assess confounding, which is the principle source of bias in this evidence, adequately. The authors acknowledge the limitation of the evidence, and they do not draw any strong policy conclusion. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.
The digital revolution and higher education
Three-in-ten American adults (29%) say a course taken online provides an equal educational value to one taken in a classroom. By contrast, fully half of college presidents (51%) say online courses provide the same value. More than three-quarters of the nation's colleges and universities now offer online classes, according to the survey of college presidents, and about one-in-four college graduates (23%) have taken a course online, according to the general public survey. Among those who have graduated in the past decade, the figure rises to 46%. Adults who have taken a course online have a somewhat more positive view of the value of this learning format: 39% say a course taken online provides the same educational value as one taken in person, a view shared by only 27% of those who have not taken an online course.
Making globalization socially sustainable
There is a shared sense that globalization is a powerful engine that has already contributed to lifting many out of poverty and that, if properly harnessed, could further promote growth and development to the benefit of all. For many years, however, concerns have been raised regarding certain effects of globalization on jobs, wages, and job insecurity.
In this context, a number of observers have come to question the sustainability of globalization from a social point of view. Calls for a more inclusive globalization have become more frequent, but only a few concrete proposals have been put forward. This book aims at contributing to the elaboration of relevant policy proposals to make globalization socially sustainable.
In this context, a number of observers have come to question the sustainability of globalization from a social point of view. Calls for a more inclusive globalization have become more frequent, but only a few concrete proposals have been put forward. This book aims at contributing to the elaboration of relevant policy proposals to make globalization socially sustainable.
Is business the new aid?
The Western-dominated development community has - where it has thought about business - tended traditionally to focus on “obligation” (controlling a fundamentally "problematic" private sector), rather than on “opportunity” (thinking about how business can contribute to core development objectives). Yet enterprise - the private sector and the opportunities it creates - is the only long-term strategy for development. The NGO sector is making this shift too. Oxfam, CARE and FARM-Africa, are just three stand-out examples of NGOs that have been proactively engaging in this agenda, from supporting small farmers and micro-entrepreneurs to partnering with large companies to advance development goals.
In Korea in just over a month, world donors will be coming together to discuss how to improve “aid effectiveness” – but in fact what they really should be talking about is how to improve “development effectiveness." And the donor agencies participating should not see themselves as aid agencies, but as “development agencies."
In Korea in just over a month, world donors will be coming together to discuss how to improve “aid effectiveness” – but in fact what they really should be talking about is how to improve “development effectiveness." And the donor agencies participating should not see themselves as aid agencies, but as “development agencies."
Commonwealth interim statement on Cameroon 2011 presidential elections
Team led by Frederick Mitchell MP, former Foreign Affairs Minister for The Bahamas
A Commonwealth Expert Team has issued an interim statement on the presidential election in Cameroon, which took place on 9 October 2011.
The Team was constituted at the invitation of the Minister of External Relations of Cameroon.
The Team of six experts, supported by a four-member staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, are led by Frederick Mitchell MP, former Foreign Affairs Minister for The Bahamas.
The mandate of the Team is to observe the preparations for the election; the polling, counting and results process; and the overall electoral environment. The team is to assess the overall conduct of the process and make appropriate recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral process in Cameroon.
Click here for the Interim Statement.
The Team arrived in Yaoundé on 3 October 2011.
The full composition of the Commonwealth Expert Team is as follows:
Fred Mitchell (Chair)
Former Foreign Minister
The Bahamas
Former Foreign Minister
The Bahamas
Gabrielle Giroday
Journalist
Winnipeg Free Press
Canada
Journalist
Winnipeg Free Press
Canada
Samuel Tembenu
Lawyer and former President, Malawi Law Society
Malawi
Lawyer and former President, Malawi Law Society
Malawi
Irfan Abdool Rahman
Electoral Commissioner
Mauritius
Electoral Commissioner
Mauritius
Ambassador Bariyu Adekunle Adeyemi
Former Diplomat
Nigeria
Dr Tumelontle Thiba
Provincial Electoral Officer
North West Province
South Africa
Former Diplomat
Nigeria
Dr Tumelontle Thiba
Provincial Electoral Officer
North West Province
South Africa
The Commonwealth Secretariat support staff team is led by Linford Andrews, Political Affairs Officer in the Political Affairs Division.
The Commonwealth observed the 1997 Presidential Elections and the 2002 Municipal and Legislative Elections in Cameroon. The Commonwealth also observed the 2004 Presidential Elections. A Commonwealth Assessment Team was present for the 2007 Parliamentary Elections.
Note to Editors:
The Team’s report will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will then in turn send it to the Government of Cameroon, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), and Commonwealth governments.
The Expert Team will act impartially and independently and shall conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.
For media enquiries, please contact:
In Cameroon: Linford Andrews, Political Affairs Officer, on tel: +44 (0)752-5392-496, +237 96001541 or e-mail: l.andrews@
In London: Julius Mucunguzi, Communications Officer and Assistant Spokesperson for Africa on e-mail: j.mucunguzi@
Rehema
Patriot in Kampala,East Africa
When the boot of government is on your neck,it doesn't matter if it's left or right. Today is Buganda, tomorrow is some one else. Sing Buganda National Anthem with me by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Broadband Strategies Handbook : Building a Broadband World
The Broadband Strategies Handbook is a guide for policy-makers, regulators, and other relevant stakeholders as they address issues related to broadband development. It aims to help readers, particularly those in developing countries, by identifying issues and challenges in broadband development, analyzing potential solutions to consider, and providing practical examples from countries that have addressed broadband-related matters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)