Global Development Briefing -- Rush Job
May 26, 2005

• The Week in Review
• Development IQ Quiz
• Job Opportunity of the Week
• New Reports & Papers

The Week in Review   Read the full version of the Global Development Briefing

International

U.N. Round-Up: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has chosen former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), responsible for 17 million homeless people around the world. Guterres, 56, president of the Socialist International since 1999, replaces former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, who was pressured to resign in February following allegations of sexual harassment, which he vigorously denied. The Geneva-based UNHCR, the largest refugee agency in the world, has an annual budget of close to $1 billion and 6,000 staff in 115 countries. **** Top United Nations officials have praised the European Union's agreement to substantially boost its official dev! elopment assistance (ODA) over the next decade, with half of the increase going to Africa. The statement said that all Member States which joined the EU before 2002 will reach the 0.7 per cent target for ODA as a percentage of gross national income by 2015, with an intermediate target of 0.51 per cent by 2010. **** Countries hit by last December's devastating tsunami around the Indian Ocean will take at least five to 10 years to recover with the help of international aid, United Nations agencies said May 23. Technical experts underlined after a meeting organized by the UN Development Program (UNDP) that recovery efforts would also have to tackle problems with poverty, conflicts or land disputes that existed before the tsunami struck, on top of reconstruction. **** The 192 members of the World Health Organization this week approved international rules giving the WHO sweeping powers to tackle disease outbreaks and other health threats. Countries will be requir! ed to report to the organization any disease outbreak that could const itute "a public health emergency of international concern", to allow in WHO investigators and to show they are taking steps to control the outbreak.

IMF, World Bank & IFI Round-Up: Aid to poor countries is running $20 billion short of goals set for wealthy nations, and the developing world needs the extra money in cash rather than debt relief or technical assistance, Francois Bourguignon, the World Bank's top economist said May 23 at the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE conference) in Amsterdam. Last year $78 billion was earmarked for aid by the rich countries, an increase of 10 percent over the previous year, Bourguignon said. But the increase was less than it seemed because donations are being eroded by inflation and by the declining strength of the dollar. ***** The African Development Bank (ADB) failed this week in the Nigerian capital Abuja to elect a new president. Olabisi Ogunjobi, a Nigerian vice-president of the bank ! is largely backed by African members, while Donald Kaberuka, Rwanda's finance minister, is a favorite of the non-African members, notably the US. In 2004 the Bank approved projects worth $4.3 billion and disbursed $2 billion. Analysts say it now offers better value for money than the World Bank in some cases. **** The World Bank should focus on promoting economic growth rather than social policies as the route to reducing poverty, the Bank's internal watchdog. The report by the Bank's Operations Evaluation Department—an independent unit that analyses the Bank's lending—criticizes the emphasis placed on education and health spending under James Wolfensohn's leadership. The OED's Annual Review of Development Effectiveness is based on analysis of Bank projects over the past 15 years. The report suggested that education and health projects failed to reach the poorest people and said there had been inadequate assessment of the impact of th! ose expenditures. **** The World Bank this week raised the red f lag on a looming global pensions crunch unless countries overhaul their systems, proposing a mix of public and market-based private retirement savings programs. It's report "Old Age Income Support in the 21st Century" said the best solution for most countries was to move to a more diverse "multi-pillar" pension system that offered flexibility and managed risks. **** Outgoing World Bank president James Wolfensohn said this week that the international financial institution should change the way it selects its leader. He said he would support a switch to the model of the World Trade Organization, which recently chose its new director general from four public candidates through the consensus of all its members. **** The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned that the region must do more to protect its environment, and is calling on the private sector to help alleviate the tremendous pressures of rapid economic growth. "While many developing ! countries in the region have formulated national environmental institutions, much more remains to be done," said ADB vice president Jin Liqun at a meeting of Asian environment ministers. On a global scale, governmental assistance for forest management has already declined by 50 percent in the last decade and support for protected areas fell by over 60 percent, the meeting heard.

Sub-Saharan Africa

ZIMBABWE: Paramilitary units armed with batons and tear gas patrolled Harare's main roads on May 23 as police warned they would not tolerate any more protests against their crackdown on street trading—the only livelihood for thousands in Zimbabwe's shattered economy. AP reports that Police Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka said 9,653 people have been arrested as of May 24 in a five-day blitz on street vendors, flea market stalls and other informal businesses. The crackdown is aimed at crushing the black marke! t for scarce staple goods such as maize meal, sugar and gasoline. The government claims the traders are not licensed and blames them for sabotaging the economy. By May 26, Zimbabwean police had arrested another 7,000 people as part of a countrywide campaign against illegal traders. State radio said the arrests were made in the town of Gweru in the center of the country. That brought the number of people arrested in Zimbabwe over the last week to more than 17,000. Zimbabwe state radio said the people were arrested for hoarding scarce goods like maize, dealing in foreign currency and gold panning. In other news, the World Bank revealed that Zimbabwe's financial obligations have skyrocketed to $347 million, blighting the nation's efforts in reviving its economy. As noted in our daily Development Newswire ©, Dr Ebrahim Jassat, senior social development specialist for the lending institution in Zimbabwe confirmed that the southern African nation has settled $3 million in debt to the World Bank in 2003 but have not handed in payments th! is year.

Americas & Caribbean

UNITED STATES: A US congressional committee has drafted a bill that threatens to withhold tens of millions of dollars in dues from the United Nations unless the world body launches wide-ranging reforms, possibly setting the stage for a funding battle like the one that plunged the UN into financial crisis a decade ago. Dow Jones notes that the "United Nations Reform Act of 2005" targets a panoply of issues that have troubled critics of the UN, particularly US Republicans, for years. Among other things, it would seek to cut funding for programs seen as useless and bar human rights violators from serving on UN human rights bodies. Meanwhile, US senators were meeting May 26 for a second day of debate on President Bush's controversial nomination for UN ambassador, John Bolton. Republicans are likely to win a vote, despite the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's failure to back him. De! mocrats have said they may try to delay voting on the nominee unless t he White House releases classified documents relating to him. BBC online notes that Bolton has been accused by opponents of bullying and arrogance. The White House says the charges are unfounded. President Bush has called Bolton "a blunt guy" who "can get the job done at the United Nations."

Asia & Pacific

INDIA: Former US President Bill Clinton has praised India's success in combating AIDS and said it could be a world leader in treating the deadly virus. "India has gone from being the world's number one worry to being the world's number one marvel," the BBC reports he said in the Indian capital Delhi. His comments come a day after India said it has seen a dramatic slowdown in the number of new infections. India has the second highest number of HIV-infected people after South Africa. But on May 25, Indian health officials said initial estimates showed only 28,000 people became infected i! n 2004, compared to 520,000 in 2003. "I think your government is committed to doing the right thing, Mr Clinton told Indian business leaders in Delhi. The former president said India had the chance to lead the way in HIV/Aids treatment because of its large generic drugs industry. His HIV/ AIDS Initiative foundation has also signed an agreement with the Indian government to train 150,000 doctors in HIV/ AIDS care and treatment over the next few months. "You can't imagine what you can do for the whole world's fight against Aids if we can really train all these medical personnel in a short amount of time and get this medicine out there," he said. But he also urged India to continue to show urgency in dealing with the spread of AIDS. In other news, the Asian Development Bank has shelled out a $204 million in financial assistance for India that is earmarked for infrastructure development in the north-eastern regions of the country. As noted in our daily De! velopment Newswire ©, ADB Country Representative Jeffry Stubbs no ted that the undertaking, dubbed as the North-Eastern Region Urban Development Project (NERDUP), is set to improve or widen roads and to upgrade water supply, sanitation, and waste management in key cities.

Europe & Central Asia

UNITED KINGDOM: The British government is intensively lobbying big business with interests in Africa to back the recommendations of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Commission for Africa report ahead of the Group of Eight (G-8) summit in July, reports Business Day (South Africa). Senior UK public servants are enlisting business to ensure the G-8 summit fully supports the commission's proposals. Among the commission's recommendations are a doubling of aid to Africa, extensive debt relief and opening up of developed countries' markets. A largely British business group, Business Action for Africa, is trying to bring large corporations together to draw up an action plan ahead of the summit, in ord! er to influence G-8 governments. Its founder members are UK-listed companies including Anglo American, SABMiller, Rio Tinto and Unilever.The action group wants business to become "a locomotive for change" in Africa. It hopes business can begin to play a more significant role in African development through a commitment to greater social responsibility and strict adherence to codes of conduct. The Guardian (UK) further adds that Tony Blair is considering flying to Washington in a bid to rescue his ambitious G8 agenda on Africa and climate change, Downing Street has acknowledged.

Middle East & North Africa

IRAQ: Joseph Saba, the World Bank's Country Director for Iraq, offered a grim assessment of progress made in rebuilding the country's economy since Saddam Hussein was overthrown two years ago, saying terrorist violence has endured for so long that it threatens to become an enduring obstacle to reconstruction, D! ow Jones reports. Saba said in an interview May 23 that the political "milestones" upon which the bank placed much of its faith—including the country's first democratic election in decades—haven't yielded the stability they were expected to. Two years after the bank withdrew its international staff following a deadly truck-bomb attack in Baghdad, security conditions in Iraq have only become "worse," he said. "Patterns set in," Saba said. "After a regime change, and after a conflict, you have a period of time where everything is in the air. Then you have an opportunity to introduce real changes before new patterns set in or old patterns repeat. Over time, the pattern of insecurity and chaos begins to be a pattern in itself, and this impedes an orderly transition. That's how I see it happening now." Other "post-conflict" countries the bank dealt with over the last 15 years were stable enough within a year for long-range reconstruction work, Saba said. In Iraq, by contrast, t! he bank has dispensed about $25 million in aid - mainly for "emergency" projects involving education and urban sanitation - and has committed an additional $90 million for such projects.

Development IQ Quiz   Read the Answer to the previous Quiz

Stormy Weather

THIS WEEK, the World Food Program appears set to launch a unique form of insurance in the developing world that will pay out when a certain type of natural (although this point is debatable) disaster strikes. In which country will it be launched? How will it work?

The Winners this Week

In order received: Joe Troester, Jerome Anderson, Ranjan Ravaliya, Dianne Z. Newman, Jon Kurtz, Stephen A. Klaus, Denise Vauthier, Stephen M Brager, Robert Thorpe, Yaacov Iland, Al Hagan, Gordon Dowsley, Barbara Dickerson, Ira Birnbaum, Godwill G Wanga, Matthew Simmons, Jacob Briem, Gligor Tashkovich, Shaukat Ali, Tom Herlehy, Margaret Goodman, Shammy Puri, Jim Anderson, Kieran Holmes, Robert Warren and ! Frank Williams


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Job Opportunity of the Week   Read the Briefing in Full

Senior and Mid Level Consultants

The Asia Foundation is seeking mid-level and senior level consultants for long-term and short-term positions for potential projects in Asia. The Foundation is seeking consultants with experience in the following general areas:
(1) Institutional strengthening, (2) Inter-governmental relations, (3) Local economic development and fiscal planning, (4) Local revenue generation, (5) Decentralization policy, (6) Election administration, (7) Capacity building, (8) Transparency and accountability, (9) Public education campaigns, (10) Budget and policy formation, (11) Member training, (12) Monitoring and evaluation

Experienced consultants are sought for a political institution and political process strengthening proj! ect in Mongolia to further effective and accountable governance by making political institutions and processes more competitive, effective and transparent. Consultants are also sought for a project to nurture the institutionalization of participatory development processes and democratic practices for local governments in Cambodia.

Qualifications:
(1) Previous experience developing and managing complex projects, working with government and donor communities, preferably in the democracy and governance sector. (2)Advanced degree in a related field, such as political science, public administration, economics. (3)Senior-level positions require at least seven years of directly relevant experience. (4) Experience in Mongolia, Cambodia or the Asia region preferred.

Salary will be commensurate with background and experience. Interested candidates should send a résumé and cover letter to: The Asia Foundation, c/o Human Resources, PO Box 193223, San Francsico, CA94119! -3223; jobs@asiaf ound.org Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region.

New Reports & Papers   Read the Briefing in full

Combating World Hunger

Armed conflicts have become the leading cause of world hunger, with the effects of HIV/AIDS and global warming close behind, according to a new report out today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "Conflict destroys lives, opportunities and environments and may be one of the most significant obstacles to sustainable development as it can destroy in hours and days what has taken years and decades to develop," says the report, presented to an FAO committee meeting this week in Rome to review policies towards reducing world hunger, including food production and physical and economic access to food. The proportion of food emergencies that can be considered human-made has increased over time, the repor! t says, warning that the goal of halving the world's hungry by 2015 is almost certain to be missed by a wide margin if current trends continue. More than a third of food emergencies between 1992 and 2003 were due to conflict and economic problems, compared with around 15 per cent from 1986 to 1991, the report says, adding that war also contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS through displacement, rape or commercial sex.

To learn more, please go to http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/102562/index.html

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