THIS NEWSLETTER IS A SUMMERY

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This Newsletter is a summary and analysis of the most important trends in economic
co-operation and development policy. This is a public version of the file sent to
professionals of AGEG Consultants eG (www.AGEG.de) by its Economic Development
Department. If you wish to subscribe from another account, send a blank email to:
AGEG-WiRAM-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Current and back issues may be accessed at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AGEG-WiRAM/
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CONTENT

1. EU aid programme to Africa fails to address Millennium Development Goals
2. The Least Developed Countries Report 2007
3. Rich Growing Richer Faster Than Poor in Developing Asia - ADB Study
4. EU and Central America start negotiations for new Association Agreement
5. Training and Events
6. Publications
7. Websites of the Month
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1. 2015-Watch report: EU aid programme to Africa fails to address Millennium
Development Goals

On the occasion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) mid-point, Alliance2015
published its 4th ‘2015-Watch’ report addressing the crucial question whether Europe
is still on track to fulfil its commitments and deliver on its promises.
The European Commission is currently finalising its aid programmes for countries in
Africa for the period 2008 – 2013. Officially, the main objectives of these programmes
are the eradication of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
but it appears that these are being pushed aside in favour of the EU’s own interests,
as evidence suggests: the report cites the example of the new ''Governance Facility”
which, the Commission claims, will boost the EU’s support for health and education in
its partner countries. However, according to the report, the evidence suggests
otherwise. The Governance Facility uses a set of 23 indicators to determine which
countries will be eligible for additional funding. Of these, only one is related to
the Millennium Development Goals.
http://www.alliance2015.org/index.php/news/alliance_update/eu_aid_programme_to_africa_fails_to_address_millennium_development_goals
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2. The Least Developed Countries Report 2007

The UNCTAD has recently released the Least Developed Countries Report, 2007, subtitled
''Knowledge, technical learning and innovation for development''. The full report can
be downloaded freely online. Introduction: ''The least developed countries (LDCs) are
a group of countries (presently 50 States) that have been officially identified by the
United Nations as ''least developed'' in the light of their low income, weak human
assets, and high economic vulnerability. UNCTAD, in past LDC Reports, has taken the
view that the key to sustained economic growth and poverty reduction in LDCs is the
development of productive capacities and related creation of productive employment.
The Least Developed Countries Report 2007 corroborates this view by focusing on
knowledge accumulation, technological learning and the ability to innovate as vital
processes toward genuine productive capacity development in these countries.''
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=8674&intItemID=4314&lang=1&mode=highlights
_____________________________________________________________________

3. Rich Growing Richer Faster Than Poor in Developing Asia - ADB Study

The rich are growing richer faster than the poor in developing Asia, and widening
disparities in standards of living can threaten the growth process in one of the most
dynamic region's of the world, says a new ADB report. Absolute inequality has
increased virtually everywhere between the 1990s and 2000s. One consequence of this is
that the most well-off have experienced considerably larger increases in their
standards of living than the least well-off. For example, the expenditures of the
''rich” (top 20%) have increased much more than those of the ''poor” (bottom 20%).
This has happened even in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia where relative
inequality declined.
http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2007/12077-asian-developments-reports/default.asp
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4. EU and Central America start negotiations for new Association Agreement

The negotiations between the EU and Central America for a comprehensive Association
Agreement have started today in Brussels on the occasion of a high level meeting
between the European Commission and Central America. The Association Agreement is
envisaged as a comprehensive agreement, embracing the whole array of the multifaceted
relations of the EU with Central America. Its objective is to enhance the political
dialogue between both regions, intensify and improve their co-operation in a vast
variety of areas, as well as to enhance and facilitate bi-regional economic links,
including trade and investments. The Agreement will be negotiated with Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. As soon as Panama takes the decision to
join the economic integration process SIECA in Central America, it will be fully
involved in the negotiations. The European Commission recently adopted an aid package
of some €840 million for the period 2007-2013 to assist the region and its countries
to address the most important challenges.
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/ca/index.htm
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5. Training and Events

Global Forum on migration and development
http://www.eu2007.pt/UE/vEN/Noticias_Documentos/news1o.htm
More than 120 governments as well as regional and International Organisations met for
the first meeting of the Global Forum on migration and development in Brussels on 10
July. This meeting aimed to discuss more consistent ways of strengthening the positive
impacts between migration and development policies.

Online Course in Practical Microfinance
http://www.snhu.edu/856.asp
Southern New Hampshire University's School of Community Economic Development will host
an online course in Practical Microfinance this fall. The 11-week course, to be held
from Sept 17 - Dec 18, is the first in a series of three courses for SNHU's Graduate
Certificate in Microfinance Management. SNHU Professor Malcolm Harper will facilitate
the program, which is open both to the students pursuing a master degree and to
development practitioners working in the development field.

Geneva Private Capital Symposium, on the theme of '' Investing Private Capital in
Emerging and Frontier Market SMEs ”, 24-25 September 2007.

http://www.geneva-private-capital-symposium.com/
The 2nd Geneva Private Capital Symposium focuses on Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)
investment in emerging markets as a viable and often overlooked investment option. The
Symposium makes the business case for investing private capital in emerging and
frontier market SMEs. It will showcase today's leading investment vehicles and
business models for SME financing and prove how such vehicles are making it easier to
invest in this segment.

Seminar on developing Business Service Markets and Value Chains
http://learning.itcilo.org/entdev/bdsseminar/Chiang Mai, Thailand, 24 - 28 Sep 2007

Over 900 people from 100 countries have participated in the first 7 Seminars-now the
8th in the Series offers you the opportunity to learn about current trends,and to
network with your peers. As you would expect from an event in its 8th year,there is
also the chance to hear from people who have used the approaches and tools from
previous Seminars. And you will be able to hear how some of the most interesting work
presented in previous years has progressed and scaled up. Contact: Peter Tomlinson &
Cristiana Actis, tel. +39 011 6936580, PSDSeminar@itcilo.org

Ownership in Practice, Paris, 27-28 September 2007
http://www.oecd.org/document/42/0,3343,en_21571361_37824719_37948138_1_1_1_1,00.html
This Informal Workshop will examine what the principle of ownership looks like in
practice, both within developing countries (democratic ownership) and in the
relationship between developing countries and donors.

‘International Negotiations: Practical Skills and Techniques’
http://www.unitar.org/dfm/DFMelearning/Registration/form.asp
Online, 5 - 30 November 2007
Offered by United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

Donor Committee Conference: African and global lessons for more effective donor practices
http://www.businessenvironment.org/dyn/be/besearch.details?p_phase_id=142&p_lang=en&p_phase_type_id=6
Accra, 5-7 November 2007 (English/French)

Donor Committee Conference: Asian and global lessons for more effective donor
practices,
http://www.businessenvironment.org/dyn/be/besearch.details?p_phase_id=107&p_lang=en&p_phase_type_id=6
Bangkok, 29 November to 1 December 2006

Governing for Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Development Actors under
the New Aid Paradigm
http://eadi.org/database/database/?dataset=training&table=data&id=292
Antwerp, Belgium. April - May 2008, Institute of Development Policy and Management
_____________________________________________________________________

6. Publications

African Economic Outlook 2007
http://www.oecd.org/document/22/0,2340,en_2649_15162846_38561046_1_1_1_1,00.html
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), African Development Bank

Beyond Good Intentions: Measuring the Social Performance of Microfinance Institutions
http://www.microfinancegateway.org/files/42300_file_FocusNote_41.pdf
A publication in the CGAP Focus Note Series of the Consultative Group to assist the
Poor (CGAP). This Focus Note highlights the emerging emphasis on social performance in
microfinance and reviews some of the assessment tools recently developed.''

Business engagement in humanitarian relief: key trends and policy implications
http://www.eldis.org/go/topics/resource-guides/corporate-responsibility&id=32669&type=Document
This paper explores the new roles that companies are playing in humanitarian action.
It examines the various forms corporate engagement, with a particular focus on
partnerships, and explores the underlying motivations behind this involvement.

Business for Development: Fostering the Private Sector 2007
http://www.oecd.org/document/32/0,3343,en_2649_33731_38639328_1_1_1_1,00.html
This OECD book details the activities of the private sector in developing and emerging
economies. It demonstrates how these activities are inter-related with government
policies. Understanding these activities and public-private interactions is
indispensable for allowing the private sector to play its fullest role in a nation’s
development process. To this end, several case studies are presented to provide
concrete examples from Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Their analysis includes, among
others, the opportunities for expanding markets and upgrading skills in global value
chains, the regulatory conditions that could best promote private sector development
and the respective roles that government, business and donors can play in that process.

Business Licensing Reform: A Toolkit for Development Practitioners
http://rru.worldbank.org/Toolkits/BusinessLicenses/?cid=1295
guide gives project managers the tools for reforming business licensing regimes at the
national level. Good licensing regimes rest on laws, have clear appeals procedures,
and validity across sub-national jurisdictions. With guidance on identifying levers of
reform, designing programs, involving stakeholders, and assessing impacts from start
to finish, the reform process is broken down into four distinct phases: foundations,
preparation, design, and implementation.

Corporate social responsibility: an implementation guide for business
http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2007/csr_guide.pdf
This document presents a corporate social responsibility CSR implementation guide for
international businesses. It provides an overview of the basic steps to, and
instruments for, implementing a CSR strategy adapted specifically to your business or
organisational context.

Enhancing the Role of SMEs in Global Value Chains
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/27/43/38900592.pdf
The OECD Global Conference on Enhancing the Role of SMEs in Global Value Chains, held
in Tokyo on 31 May-1 June 2007 brought together experts from governments,
international organisations, academia, business and civil society to examine the
conclusions of the study, review best practice policies and programmes and draft the
Tokyo Action Statement – including policy recommendations -- for further work in this
area.

Entrepreneurship: New Data on Business Creation and How to Promote It
http://rru.worldbank.org/PapersLinks/Open.aspx?id=7874
The World Bank Group Entrepreneurship Survey continues to extend our knowledge of the
importance of entrepreneurship for a dynamic economy. In its second year, with more
countries participating, the survey again shows a strong relationship between
entrepreneurship, the business environment, and governance. New data shed light on how
the distribution of businesses among sectors varies by level of development. And
analysis of new data on business registration suggests that automation can greatly
reduce the barriers to starting a business. This finding makes a strong case for
pursuing e-government initiatives to spur entrepreneurship.

Global Corruption Report 2007
http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr
Transparency International

Growth with Responsibility in a Globalized World - Findings of the Shadow G-8
http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/global/04472.pdf
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES); Occasional Papers, Authors: J. E. Stieglitz, S.
Griffith-Jones

Jump start to the outcome oriented M&E System
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/businessenvironment/rc/filedownload.do?itemId=1106953
The modular approach should be used for the M&E System (www.pacplan.com) where modules
could be implemented as needed by organisation and situation and slowly progress to
cover the entire organisation’s Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System. It is
important to note that the M&E System is the on-going progress measurement in the
organisation. The original design of M&E System should allow for this modular approach
where better approach and new technologies can be modularised and added on at a later
stage.

Local and Regional Economic Development in Leyte Province:
http://www.smedsep.ph/Download/SMEDSEP%20LRED%20TOT2%20Report%20Speit%20May06.pdf
Report on the Action Planning 2006 / Training of Trainers II for LRED-Facilitators
Mission, by Rolf Speit / GTZ, Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Sustainable
Employment Programm (SMEDSEP)

Six-Pack for SME Development
www.bds-forum.net/6-pack-for-sme.htm
Product descriptions for the development of small and medium enterprises (SME), by
Dieter Gagel, Heidelberg 2007

Skills Development Policies and International Cooperation in East and South-East Asia
http://www.norrag.org/wg/papers.php
Paper on the Hong Kong Meeting, hosted by the Comparative Education Research Centre
(CERC) of the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong. It focused on skills
development policies and international cooperation in East and South-East Asia, with
particular attention to Asian approaches to skills development. , TVET System
Development, Skills Development for (Self-)employment

Technical and Vocational Skills Development
http://www.norrag.org/issue.php?id=38
Technical and Vocational Skills Development (TVSD) seems to be on the rise again. This
appears particularly to be the case in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Amongst
factors that may have sparked the renewed interest is a sense that high quality
technical and vocational skills have played a critical role in East and South East
Asia’s dramatic rise. Precisely what the contribution of labour force skills has been
is still debated, and we carry the debate forward in this special issue. Equally in
Latin America and in Europe, technical and vocational skills remain a key element in
the discussions about sustaining the moves towards a knowledge economy.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg2007.pdf
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The State of Responsible Competitiveness 2007:
Making Sustainable Development Count in Global Markets
http://www.accountability21.net/uploadedFiles/publications/The%20State%20of%20Responsible%20Competitiveness.pdf
This AccountAbility paper argues that responsible competitiveness is partly delivered
by market forces but requires global rules to ensure sustainable development. It goes
onto state that low-carbon technologies, closing the gender gap, building governance
and accountability and enhancing labour standards provides enormous opportunities for
business. The section also includes recommendations on how to improve responsible
competitiveness and efforts to advance the CRI.

Transparency in the Supply Chain
http://www.globalreporting.org/NR/rdonlyres/00A76265-1C82-4FE8-8DE3-802491ECE250/0/SupplyChain_0607.pdf
This document presents the findings of research conducted to evaluate the benefits of
increased transparency in the supply chain of Multinational Enterprises (MNE's).''

Who fears competition from informal firms ? evidence from Latin America
http://www.ruralfinance.org/servlet/BinaryDownloaderServlet/51816_Empresas_Asociativas.pdf?filename=1185554797019_emars2006_3.pdf&refID=51816

This World Bank paper investigates who is most affected by informal competition and
how regulation and enforcement affect the extent and nature of this competition. Using
newly-collected enterprise data for 6,466 manufacturing formal firms across 14
countries in Latin America, the authors show that formal firms affected by
head-to-head competition with informal firms largely resemble them.
_____________________________________________________________________

7. Websites of the Month

World Bank's MDG Atlas
http://devdata.worldbank.org/atlas-mdg/large.html
This attractive website provides maps of accomplishments under most of the indicators
defined for the eight Millennium Development Goals. The information and its display
are provided by the World Bank. The site provides added data in some pull down graphs,
and has other features, such as help buttons.

Doing Business Map
http://www.doingbusiness.org/map/
In partnership with the World Bank, Google recently released a map showing the ease of
Doing Business around the world. 175 countries are color coded: green for easy,
yellow for moderate, and red for difficult. Countries that have an additional green
star are among the top 10 reformers. Similar to Google Maps, the user can choose a
satellite map of the world or a map with political boundaries superimposed over a
satellite map. Both include the markers that reference the World Bank’s Doing
Business report. Users can also zoom in and out as desired.

Evidence-Based Policy in Development Network (EBPDN)
http://www.ebpdn.org
ODI has launched this new website for EBPDN. In addition to viewing relevant
documents, and information about forthcoming events, visitors can participate in
online forums (after registration). Specifically, this website is designed as a
community website which provides: knowledge on bridging research and policy; details
of members of the network; a directory of training and advisory expertise; discussion
forums; project areas; and a partnership brokering area.

Focal Point for Rural Development
http://www.sdc-ruraldevelopment.ch/index.php?userhash=1317698&lID=2&navID=47
The Swiss SDC Focal Point for Rural Development is an answer to the challenge of
effectively managing knowledge, learning and joint work around rural development
across sectors and thematic specialisations, and across globally dispersed programmes
and partners.

Economic Policy Institutes Network’s (EPIN)
http://www.epinetwork.org
A bi-lingual on-line resource to serve the needs of experts and researchers in
information sharing and experience exchange in CIS countries and Central and Eastern
Europe. The on-line resource aims at facilitating cooperation and networking among
economic policy institutes (EPI) to strengthen their potential in policy advice.

IDEAS Centre
http://www.ideascentre.ch
IDEAS Centre is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to helping
low-income countries to integrate into the world trading system - in a way that
supports their national poverty reduction and economic development efforts. The Centre
offers practical, results-oriented advisory services and executes projects aimed at
strengthening the capacities of developing/transition country governments to shape
both their domestic economic policies as well as the international policies that
affect them.

BalkanKult
http://www.balkankult.org/bk/
BalkanKult is a foundation that aims to support the development of creative industries
and cultural diversity in the Balkan region.The foundation provides an information
network of databases of cultural institutions and associations, transnational
foundations, networks, awards, programs, scholarship/bursary schemes, artists and
competitions in over 15 artistic and cultural disciplines in South East Europe.






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