JANUARY 2010
A Royal mission – fighting cancer in Jordan and the Middle East MIFTAH: the key of hope for Palestinians IEF holds energy symposium in South Africa Vienna High-Level Symposium reviews aid effectiveness Venezuela’s Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra visits Austria Save the fish: food for thought? OFID Quarterly is published four times a year by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
OFID is the development finance agency established in January 1976 by the Member States of OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) to promote South-South cooperation by extending development assistance to other, non-OPEC developing countries.
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PUBLISHERS
THE OPEC FUND FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (OFID) Parkring 8, P.O. Box 995, A-1010 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 515 64-0; Fax: (+43-1) 513 92-38 Email: [email protected] www.ofid.org
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mauro Hoyer Romero EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Audrey Haylins
CONTRIBUTORS Reem Aljarbou, Sam Ifeagwu, Anna Ilaria-Mayrhofer, Verena Ringler, Fatimah Zwanikken, Project Syndicate (Tarun Khanna)
PHOTOGRAPHS Rana Wintersteiner (Unless otherwise credited) PRODUCTION Susanne Dillinger
DISTRIBUTION Hala Elsayed DESIGN etage.cc/krystian.bieniek PRINTED IN AUSTRIA Stiepan Druck GmbH COMMENT
January 2010 Strengthening aid effectiveness 2
COVER STORY 4 A Royal mission – fighting cancer in Jordan and the Middle East 4 OUTREACH
MIFTAH: The key to hope for Palestinian Society 10 Society’s forgotten victims 14 AIDS vaccine breakthrough 18 OFID partners with Standard Chartered PLC 22 OFID Diary 24 Meetings attended by OFID 25 Loan signature photo gallery 26 129th Governing Board photo gallery 28
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
HIV/AIDS: protecting the vulnerable 30 IEF holds energy poverty symposium in South Africa 34 Asian footsteps in Africa Chinese Premier pledges US$10 billion in aid to Africa 36 30 Migration as an engine of human development 39 Vienna High-Level Symposium reviews aid accountability and transparency 41 Arab countries debate climate change 43
MEMBER STATES FOCUS
Kuwait hosts Arab Thought Foundation Annual Conference 46 Venezuela’s Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra visits Austria 48 53 PARTNERSHIPS
Cover photo: OPEC Secretariat moves to new location 51 HRH Princess Ghida Talal and HRH Princess Dina Mired of Jordan’s King Hussein Cancer Foundation during the Amman International Marathon, where 3,000 people participated in the name SPOTLIGHT of the Foundation. PHOTO: KHCF Save the fish: food for thought? 53 COMMENT
Strengthening aid effectiveness
he availability of financing for on Harmonization, Paris, France, 2005, development may be one of the and the Third High Level Forum on Aid Ef- T less talked about casualties of fectiveness, Accra, Ghana, 2008, are good the global financial crisis, but its examples of this initiative, as are the wounds are nonetheless deep. By stran- outcomes of these meetings: the 2005 gling aid and other capital flows, the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and recession has exposed the inherent the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action. fragility of the global development These events created a powerful mo- framework and thrown into sharp re- mentum to change the way aid donors lief the imperative of getting the most and recipients work on the ground and out of every single cent – in other spawned the establishment of a multi- words the issue of aid effectiveness. plicity of mechanisms for aid effective- Aid effectiveness is a term coined to ness, including the International Aid describe the degree to which aid objec- Transparency Initiative, the Open Forum tives are achieved and target problems on Civil Society Organization Aid Effective- resolved. It is more about quality than ness, and the Better Aid Platform. quantity, although the latter is also very Such momentum, however, has important when it comes to measuring slowed in the face of the global financial actual results. crisis and its repercussions. Some donor In recent years, important strides countries have cut back on the amount have been made towards improving the of funding made available, while others quality of aid. Representatives of donor have tied the provision of funds to the and recipient countries and multilateral acquisition of their own goods and serv- and bilateral development institutions – ices. These circumstances have served to including OFID – have stood united in highlight the relevance and importance their determination to build a more in- of the concessional and untied support clusive and accountable aid cooperation provided by OFID for more than three framework. The Second High Level Forum decades.
2 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 COMMENT
The quantity of OFID aid is “OFID financing a central tenet of its opera- not related to the economic for development is tional philosophy. performance of OFID Mem- However, we must be ber Countries, or to the aver- consistent and mindful that aid effective- age spot price of the OPEC predictable – two ness depends not just on reference basket of selected of the prerequisites the donors but on the recip- crudes, or to the value of ients too. So results-oriented Member Country petroleum for enhanced aid development cooperation exports. OFID financing for transparency, must include open, respect- development is consistent accountability ful dialogue with develop- and predictable – two of the ing country partners – what and effectiveness.” prerequisites for enhanced OFID calls a “contract among aid transparency, accounta- equals.” We must support bility and effectiveness. their choices and actively encourage Recognizing the need for continued them to take control of their own improvement of the quality of South- future. South and Triangular cooperation, OFID Yet, as the target date of 2015 for has also been an active participant in reaching the eight Millennium Devel- the Development Cooperation Forum opment Goals (MDGs) draws nearer, the and in the Coordination Group of the signs are that the pace of progress has Arab Funds, the Islamic Development remained too slow. If the MDGs are a Bank and OFID. OFID has also played measure of aid effectiveness, then as a an active role in the dialogue between global community we are failing on the Coordination Group and the Devel- many counts. Much more must be done opment Assistance Committee of the to accelerate implementation of the ob- Organization for Economic Coopera- jectives set out in the Paris Declaration tion and Development. and the Accra Agenda for Action. OFID looks forward to continuing Meanwhile, in regaining the mo- constructive dialogue – including with mentum, let us not forget what remains new partners – on issues related to aid ef- when we strip away the rhetoric – bil- fectiveness and reform of the interna- lions of men, women and children, who tional financial and aid architecture. For are depending on us to help build a bet- OFID, maximizing the impact of its ter future. What greater inspiration do development assistance has always been we need?
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 3 COVER STORY
The King Hussein Cancer Center Established by Royal Decree in 1997, KHCC has evolved into the leading cancer hospital in the Middle East, with state-of-the-art facilities providing life-saving treatment to over 4,000 patients every year, many of them children.
4 PHOTO: KHCF
HRH Princess Ghida Talal (left) and HRH Princess Dina Mired (right) are tireless advocates for excellence in cancer care in Jordan.
A Royal mission – fighting cancer in Jordan and the Middle East
by Audrey Haylins The name is not all that is royal about Jordan’s King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF). Leading the dedicated team of medics, support staff and fundraisers are two royal princesses – Princess Ghida Talal, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, and Princess Dina Mired, Director- General. Unlike some royal patrons, however, the princesses are more than just figureheads, as the OFID Quarterly discovered during a recent interview with Their Highnesses.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 5 COVER STORY
ogether, they make a formidable because we’ve actually been there. It is “We were the first cancer hospital out- T duo. Utterly committed to their this that gives our passion an extra edge,” side the United States to receive this ex- cause, the Princesses Ghida and Dina explains Princess Ghida. ceptional distinction from JCAHO, so are powerful protagonists in Jordan’s And it is the princesses’ passion that it’s something we are very proud of,” fight against cancer – the country’s sec- has helped establish KHCF’s medical says Princess Ghida. The Center has also ond biggest killer after heart disease. arm, the King Hussein Cancer Center, as recently been awarded membership of Behind their steely determination lies the leading hospital of its kind in the the prestigious College of American a special understanding borne out of Middle East. Pathologists. their own first-hand experiences. As a Established by Royal Decree in 1997, In order to augment KHCC’s pool of young bride, Princess Ghida helped her the Center has evolved into a comprehen- expertise and experience, the princesses husband successfully battle Non- sive, state-of-the-art facility that is the and their team have labored hard to forge Hodgkins Lymphoma, while Princess equal of anything anywhere in the world. affiliations with some of the top cancer Dina has nursed her young son through Testament to its standing is its accredita- centers in the world, among them the leukemia. tion as a “disease-specific” healthcare USA National Cancer Institute, St. Jude “We have both lived cancer in all its provider by the internationally-recog- Children’s Research Hospital, USA; and facets – from the terror to the taboo. We nized Joint Commission on Accreditation of Georgetown University Lombardi Cancer understand all the steps that go with it, Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Center, USA. Ties are likewise being nur-
Surviving breast cancer: Sahar’s story
Sahar Mifleh Jarrar, 49, is an educated woman with a master’s degree exercise and volunteering with the ‘Sanad in social sciences and population studies. In 2004, while conducting an Support Group’ program helped me over- early detection test for breast cancer at the King Hussein Cancer come such negative effects.” Center, a lump in her left breast was discovered. Even before getting Sahar remains confident, saying: “In the results of her biopsy, she knew she had cancer. The tests confirmed spite of the psychological, physical and social her suspicions. suffering I went through, the support of my Sahar says: “Dr. Yasar Qutaiba, the head of the early detection husband, family and friends helped me to clinic, explained to me that I would need a partial or full mastectomy overcome my ordeal and recover. My 13- and that the lymph nodes in my armpits would have to be examined to year-old daughter was my reason for endur- restrict the spread.” ing the disease and treatments and ultimately On her second visit, Sahar met with surgeon Dr. Mahmoud Al the reason for my survival. She used to say: Masri, who informed her that she was in the early stages of the disease ‘Mom you have to live to see my children. and so recommended a partial mastectomy. Sahar, however, insisted on I love you as you are, with or without a a full mastectomy to guarantee a higher chance of recovery. “I disre- breast, with or without hair. The important thing is that you are still garded the affect it may have on my psychology as a woman, due to the alive and that you are beside me, talking to me and holding me close.’” threat to my feminine appearance. I was completely convinced of the Sahar speaks in glowing terms of the care she received at KHCC: importance of giving priority to recovery.” “It is not an exaggeration to say that I received wonderful health and Sahar underwent the operation and her left breast was removed. psychological care, from the reception staff to the medical team. Nor “The surgery was followed by four sessions of chemotherapy as a pre- can I forget the social team which alleviated the burden of treatment ventative measure, although the doctor insisted I did not need it. The among the patients. My volunteer work at the Sanad Support Group chemotherapy was my choice, although post-op tests showed the allowed me, in turn, to help others as well as offer psychological and lymph nodes in my armpits to be disease free; even the removed lump moral support.” itself was small at a size of 1.5 cm.” Today, Sahar has resumed living a normal life, playing all the roles Sahar’s chemotherapy treatments were not easy. She recalls, required of her as a wife, mother and effective woman in society, with- “I could hardly endure the third session and during the fourth, I started out problem. She admits that battling cancer taught her the importance to cry hysterically before any needles were put in. I still suffer from the of love and loved ones in our lives through their continuous support negative effects of the chemotherapy, as I feel a weakness in my joints in times of need. and an increase in my weight due to the hormone treatment. However,
6 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 COVER STORY
tured with the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center as well as the or- ganization Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the USA’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Located in the Jordanian capital Am- man, KHCC’s 180-bed hospital boasts state-of-the-art medical equipment and services, including surgical and intensive care facilities, and treats over 4,000 new cancer patients every year, including chil- dren. Its first-class team of oncologists and other healthcare professionals is drawn from around the world, with the aim of providing the highest quality of care. Innovations include a tele-synergy unit, which allows for real time consulta- tions on difficult cases between specialists in two or more countries, and a multi- modality clinic, where the patient is treated holistically by a chemotherapist, psychiatrist and neurologist. According to Princess Ghida, the “real jewel” in KHCC’s crown is its bone yond the chance of a cure. Today, thanks Two young cancer marrow transplant program. The Center to a nationwide awareness campaign that conducts around 100 of these delicate, has helped break down the taboos sur- survivors unveil the “King life-saving procedures every year, on both rounding the “Big C,” this statistic has Hussein Wall of Hope,” children and adults, with a very high suc- been almost halved. which raised US$820,000 cess rate. “A bone marrow transplant is “It’s amazing to see how in such a usually the last resort for a cancer patient, short time we have managed so emphati- in funding for the hospital. the only option left when the treatment is cally to decrease mortality among Jordan- Each brick in the wall not working,” explains the Princess, who ian women, who were dying so unneces- is quick to emphasize the importance of sarily,” declares Princess Dina. “Now we represents a donation and the program: “As the only transplant serv- are receiving women mostly with stage is engraved with the name ice in Jordan and the most advanced in one and stage two cancers, and we are of the donor or loved-one. the region, our work in this area is invalu- even seeing the emergence of a stage zero, able.” where only minimal intervention is Despite the remarkable success of the needed to effect a cure.” bone marrow transplant program, both Advances in treatment notwith- royal princesses agree that the Center’s standing, like every other cancer hospi- most outstanding achievement lies in its tal KHCC is witnessing a steady rise in pa- leadership of Jordan’s national breast can- tient numbers, which are growing at the cer campaign. Launched about three rate of about 1,000 per year. Princess years ago by the Ministry of Health, this Ghida believes that the rise is due to a initiative seeks to offer comprehensive number of factors, including a general in- services for the early detection and crease in cancer rates, higher awareness, screening of breast cancer for all women screening campaigns and early detection, aged between 40 and 59. as well as fewer taboos. Until very recently, 70 percent of The number of outpatient visits, women diagnosed with breast cancer in meanwhile, has multiplied 10-fold in Jordan were presenting at an advanced just six years. This, assures Princess Dina, stage of the disease and were often be- is a positive development: “The whole
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 7 COVER STORY
movement worldwide for cancer is to the CADD pump, people can have their go for outpatient treatment, which is far chemo at home and even continuing better for the individual than spending a working if they feel well enough,” says lot of time in hospital.” KHCC fully sup- Princess Dina. “This allows us to treat ports this idea and has introduced the use more patients every month.” of portable “CADD” pumps that enable As a non-profit NGO, the Founda- chemotherapy to be administered safely tion relies almost exclusively on fundrais- and effectively in an outpatient setting so ing to finance its day-to-day operations. that patients are able to continue living Patients with the means to do so pay for their lives as normally as possible. “With their treatment. But the hospital’s policy HRH Princess Ghida Talal, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of KHCF and
OFID Director-General, PHOTO: AGNES NEBEHAY Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, conclude the grant agreement.
8 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 COVER STORY
Equipped with cutting- edge technology and a first-class medical staff, KHCC boasts a clutch of international accredita- tions for its work.
is to open its doors as much as possible sis. “This is hi-tech digital mammogra- the end of 2010, marking another step in to everyone in need. As Princess Ghida phy,” explains Princess Dina. “It is incred- KHCC’s journey to consolidate itself as points out: “Cancer does not differentiate ibly precise and allows for much greater one of the world’s leading cancer centers. between rich and poor.” A full course of detection. Best of all, it has something In the meantime, the Princesses Ghida treatment, she estimates, can cost from known as a Mammotome system, which and Dina have another royal battle on US$40,000 to US$50,000. enables doctors to perform breast biop- their hands – how to raise the US$100 mil- Low-income Jordanians have their sies as an outpatient procedure.” lion needed to realize their expansion treatment subsidized by the Royal Court OFID’s latest contribution, a grant of plans for the hospital. or the government. For patients who US$600,000, will co-finance a new state- “There is so much more we need to come from other Middle Eastern coun- of-the-art interventional radiology suite do,” says Princess Dina. “We’ve never tries, most notably Palestine where health with special high-resolution imaging ca- really believed in fancy buildings or big services are very basic, the Foundation pabilities to improve accuracy and effi- spaces, but we are so overstretched that has what is known as a Goodwill Fund, ciency and, in many cases, eliminate the we simply have to build a bigger hospital. from which treatment, travel and accom- need for surgery for routine procedures. We’ve already established the institu- modation can be financed. A separate, Princess Ghida explains: tional capacity – the substance that special fund for Iraqi citizens has so far “With cancer, you normally have to makes a good hospital truly great – we raised over US$2 million, mostly from target all the cells, the good ones and the just need to be able to accommodate wealthy compatriots. bad ones, but of course we strive con- more patients.” She adds that the plans “To be honest, funding is a huge bur- stantly to harm as few healthy cells as pos- have already been drawn up and include den,” Princess Ghida admits. “Our pock- sible and focus on the malignant ones. an expansion to the bone marrow trans- ets are not bottomless, so we are heavily The images produced by this machine are plant unit and an entire floor dedicated dependent upon donations.” Financial so detailed they can provide us with a to breast cancer. support for KHCF comes from a wide va- road map to do exactly that. So, for exam- Big dreams they may be, but given riety of sources, including philanthro- ple, we can see where exactly to insert a the princesses’ tireless passion and deter- pists, private companies, foreign govern- radioactive pellet for the treatment of mination, one thing can be guaranteed: ments and national, regional or interna- prostate cancer, or a Hickman Line for the they will not remain dreams for long. tional agencies, such as OFID. delivery of chemotherapy, and all with- OFID’s partnership with KHCF out a general anesthetic and the atten- began in 2006 with the donation of dant side-effects. The benefits for the pa- US$400,000 towards the purchase of a tients are incalculable.” digital mammography machine, which If all goes according to plan, the new has been key in promoting early diagno- radiology suite will be up and running by
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 9 OUTREACH
MIFTAH: The key to hope for Palestinian Society *
by Reem Aljarbou
O ne of the most amazing dimensions In October, OFID welcomed once again to its of the legend that is Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, is her ability to articulate the headquarters renowned Palestinian scholar and Palestinian cause with such profound conviction. Dr. Ashrawi was recently political activist Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, who elected to the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), called on Director-General Al-Herbish to brief making her the first and only woman on him on the achievements of her NGO, MIFTAH. the committee since its inception. A regular guest at OFID headquar- In a wide-reaching ters, Dr. Ashrawi in her capacity as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the discussion, Dr. Ashrawi Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy also spoke about her (MIFTAH), presented Director-General Al- vision for Palestine, Herbish with a report on a project fi- nanced through a grant from OFID. her activism within During the meeting, Dr. Ashrawi focused on the evident commitment and civil society networks, dedication of civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organiza- and her efforts to bring tions (NGOs) to the overall development a woman’s approach of the many facets of Palestinian society. She thanked the Director-General for to government. OFID’s sustained attention to Palestine’s problems and the ongoing conflict facing her people. Mr. Al-Herbish conveyed PHOTO: AGNES NEBEHAY OFID’s strong dedication to the people Dr. Ashrawi is the founder of the MIFTAH movement – the Palestinian Initiative for the Promo- of Palestine and pledged the institution’s tion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, of which she has been Secretary General since 1998. unwavering support to providing long- Ashrawi is also a member of a number of NGOs and institutions, including Woman for Peace and term assistance. Justice in Palestine, and the National Reform Committee. In 2004 she became a member of the In December 2007, OFID extended Palestinian Legislative Council Affairs Committee and in 2009 she was the first woman to be a grant of US$170,000 under the Spe- elected to the Executive Committee of the PLO. Dr. Ashrawi is also a former member of the United cial Grant Account for Palestine to Nations Secretary-General’s Dialogue between Civilizations. MIFTAH. Established in 1988, MIFTAH is
*MIFTAH means KEY in Arabic
10 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OUTREACH
To help Jordanian women and youth become more self-sufficient, MIFTAH works to promote income- generating activities, such as this beekeeping enterprise.
a Jerusalem-based NGO that is dedicated to fostering democracy and good gov- ernance within Palestinian society through the promotion of public ac- countability, transparency and the free flow of information. As MIFTAH’s founder, Dr. Ashrawi had called on OFID for assistance with a project to em- power marginalized groups in rural ar- eas and enhance their involvement in the development process. The primary focus of the project was the promotion of income generating initiatives that would grant women and youth greater economic opportunities and improved living standards. PHOTOS: MIFTAH
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 11 OUTREACH
OFID and the Palestinian people
The relationship between OFID and the Palestinian Micro-financing people dates back more than three decades. During Another important component of OFID’s support this time, OFID has worked hard to lay foundations to Palestine is the PalFund, a micro-enterprise for the empowerment of Palestinians in the West program. Since its launch in 2004, the PalFund has Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as for those in refugee provided small loans to several thousand micro- camps in neighbouring countries. OFID’s support entrepreneurs and artisans. The amounts injected to Palestine reaches deep into people’s everyday into the scheme by OFID have been ‘recycled’ many lives, building human capacity and focusing on projects times, as successful entrepreneurs pay back their loan that offer Palestinians the hope of a long-term, amounts and borrow larger sums to expand their sustainable future. businesses. All repaid amounts are channelled back Targeted assistance into the ‘revolving’ PalFund scheme. Administered by UNRWA, the PalFund is the largest micro-financing In response to escalating needs, OFID in 2002 took program operating in the region. steps to intensify its involvement in Palestine by setting up a special program to accelerate the deliv- ery of assistance. Endowed with its own resources and officially known as the Special Grant Account for Palestine, this program provides support primarily to areas of long-term concern, such as basic infra- structure and essential health and social services. PHOTO: IFAD/WENDY SUE LAMM Education is a key focus of the program, which since its launch has provided ongoing support to help universities and colleges remain open by subsidizing the tuition fees and subsistence costs of students. Another important initiative is the Scholarship Fund for Talented Palestinians, which was launched in 2009 by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). OFID played a major role in developing this initiative and was its very first sponsor. Under the scheme, all talented Palestinian youth can apply for funding to attend a degree course of their choice, at a university of their choice, including overseas institutions. OFID’s special program for Palestine also pro- vides funding to hundreds of grassroots civil society organizations in the West Bank and Gaza, where en- forced movement restrictions continue to impede economic activity and drive poverty levels and unem- ployment ever higher. Operating at community level, these NGOs provide a wide range of essential serv- ices, including working with the disabled and young children, supporting rural development and building capacity among women.
12 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 PHOTO: MIFTAH
Project activities included the forma- ect which brought true change to peo- A group of women tion of a steering committee comprising ples’ lives. She said: “I have noticed im- nurture their greenhouse specialized representation from the pri- mensely that women are the ones to vate sector, the local community, donors make a difference, they are the paceset- seedlings under another and civil society, and a member of the lo- ters, the ones who break the barriers MIFTAH project. MIFTAH cal council. The project also facilitated co- within society.” ordination with local councils and In covering issues regarding the in- seeks to provide marginal- women’s associations in marginalized tegration of Palestinian society and gov- ized groups with greater communities in the Ramallah and Bireh ernment, Dr. Ashrawi focused on the im- Districts. portance of female leadership in eco- economic opportunities. MIFTAH’s strategic objectives in- nomic, political and social factions. On volve the dissemination of discourse to her new position in the Executive Com- decision-makers as well as the ability to mittee of the PLO, she stressed the im- influence policy and legislation in en- portance of gender integration adding suring civil rights and good governance. that “it is crucial to bring a female per- Additionally MIFTAH works to empower spective into the political arena for the effective leadership and raise awareness survival of programs supporting Pales- on civil rights and positive citizenship. tinian civil society.” Dr. Ashrawi talked about Palestin- In their exchange of views on ongo- ian women’s perseverance on the ing cooperation between OFID and Pales- ground in the Occupied Territories, espe- tinian CSOs and NGOs, Mr. Al-Herbish cially in rural areas, stressing that “we reiterated the importance of partnerships need women to find solutions.” Empha- with such entities, adding that “the sizing social developments and the over- mechanisms and active in-depth dialogue all situation in Palestine, Dr. Ashrawi that MIFTAH works on is essential for the discussed the building blocks of the proj- progress of Palestinian livelihoods.”
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 13 OUTREACH Society’s forgotten victims
by Anna Ilaria-Mayrhofer
For many years, the International Committee of the Red Cross Special Fund for the Disabled
PHOTO: AGNES NEBEHAY (ICRC/SFD) has worked to help physically disabled people in poor countries regain their mobility and self-respect and lead productive, fulfilling lives. In the following interview with the OFID Quarterly, Professor Claude le Coultre, Chairwoman of the SFD Board, highlights the plight of these “forgotten people” and the challenges they still face, even with support from institutions like OFID.
ccording to Professor le Coultre, the “However, even if there is no longer war According to the World Health Organiza- A disabled in the developing coun- or conflict in these countries, those left tion, over 600 million people across the tries are very often overlooked or cast disabled are still there – and require assis- globe experience some form of disability. aside in favour of more high-profile tance.” she says. Approximately 80 percent live in develop- causes: “In terms of allocating more funds Which is why OFID has previously ing countries and are poor; and thus, are to the disabled, it’s simply not a priority extended support to SFD’s regional cen- unable to access the medical and rehabili- for many governments and health min- ters in Nicaragua and Vietnam, and more tation services that would enable them to istries. So if the SFD and donor organiza- recently to help bolster operations in 15 re-integrate into society. One of the most tions such as OFID didn’t provide this SFD collaborative national centers in East- prevalent afflictions in these countries is valuable niche, these vulnerable people ern Africa, as well as to its regional office missing limbs resulting from accidents. would be truly forgotten by society.” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “OFID has re- While in some cases these injuries are It is particularly difficult to raise ally made a difference to the SFD, as it caused by auto- or work-related mishaps, funds for a cause that isn’t headline news, supports activities that aren’t necessarily in other cases, the individuals are victims she notes. While the plight of landmine in the spotlight,” concludes Professor le of landmines and unexploded ordnance. victims used to be a highly publicized is- Coultre. “We consider OFID to be one of “It’s a terrible situation for anyone sue; today you hear little about the topic. our key stakeholders.” to face, no matter where one lives,” says
14 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OUTREACH
Professor le Coultre. “But to lose a limb or become otherwise disabled in resource- poor countries brings insurmountable obstacles, as the victim usually cannot PHOTO: ICRC/SFD work and support their family.” New amputees must also grapple with the psychological aspect of their disability and often face stigmatization and social exclusion. According to the Professor, this is particularly true for women, who are typically the most vul- nerable members of poor societies. “Hav- ing a missing limb, for example, might mean that they won’t be considered suit- able for marriage, which, in many coun- tries, is seen as the primary means for women to achieve proper social status.” These challenges would indeed be insurmountable were it not for the ded- icated efforts of the SFD. Established in 1983 by the ICRC to streamline efforts to assist the disabled in impoverished ar- eas and to continue projects where the ICRC no longer operates, the SFD’s main thrust is to provide rehabilitation cen- ters in low-income countries with the technical support and training, as well as the equipment needed to produce low- cost, high quality prosthesis and or- thoses (devices that provide support to an improperly-functioning limb). The Fund also provides walking aids, such as canes and crutches, and wheelchairs, and even pays travel costs for patients to reach a center. In 2009 alone, some 15,000 people in 30 countries were able to benefit from rehabilitation services site training. As it is a highly specialized “To walk and work again” sponsored by the SFD. field, prosthetic/orthotic technicians The SFD operates out of three main must undergo three to four years of rig- is SFD’s watchword. Here, an bases. The Africa region is covered by a orous training. And here, too, the SFD is SFD physiotherapist helps a prosthetic/orthotics center (POC) in willing to help, by means of a scholar- beneficiary get used to his new Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which provides ship program, which is available to assis- specialized training to orthopaedic tech- tant technicians or physiotherapists prosthesis. Renewed mobility nicians and physiotherapists, and offers who have completed basic coursework will make it easier for him basic coursework and refresher courses at the POC. Successful candidates attend for those working at assistant-level posi- a school selected by the SFD “to insure to obtain gainful employment tions. Other regional centers are in Ho that the graduates receive a diploma that and become self-sufficient. Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Managua, is internationally recognized by the Soci- Nicaragua. ety of Prosthetics and Orthoses.” Working out of the regional hubs, On-site evaluation is also carried out. experts make regular visits to local reha- For instance, a team of SFD experts regu- bilitation centers and also conduct on- larly carries out visits at rehabilitation
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 15 OUTREACH
Case study: Ethiopia
Tesfahun Hailu from Ethiopia lost his leg and part of his arm six years ago in a landmine accident. Thanks to an artificial leg provided by the ICRC/SFD, Tesfahun was able to return to school. Now 19, he is determined to become a doctor.
How old were you when Has the Centre looked you had your accident? after you well? I lost my leg when I was 13 years All the people at the centre have old. I was playing with a landmine looked after me – they’re like fam- that my friends and I had found. I ily now. They don’t just fit artificial was curious. I heard some rattling limbs, they want to make sure I’m and wanted to see what was inside. doing well. They give me advice if I When I tried to open it, it ex- need it and a lot of encouragement, ploded. I remember it very clearly. especially with my studies. They’ve Surprisingly, I didn’t feel any pain, really made a difference in my life. probably because the nerves in my What advice can you give other leg were burned. I mostly felt people in a similar situation? shock because it happened so fast and I didn’t expect it. First, people need to learn about the dangers of landmines. Both I live in a small village and it took a parents and children must know while to get treatment. We first what can happen if they hold or had to see the police, to report play with one. If they are injured the accident. When we reached like me, they need to accept that the hospital, 25 minutes away, they they are disabled and not let it told me I couldn’t be treated defeat them. there. I had to go to another hos- PHOTO: ICRC/SFD pital that could help me. A lot of disabled people sit at ately, even though the first one home and feel useless because so- My mother died when I was five was heavy and not very comfort- ciety doesn’t give them a chance. years old so I was always working, able. I later learned about the Spe- But if they are given a chance they doing odd jobs like shoe shining. cial Fund for the Disabled and can really lead full and active lives. After the accident I wondered how about the Prosthetic Orthotic They must exercise and practice I could continue to work. Centre that made lighter ones, using their artificial limbs so they Is it difficult walking with an which made walking much easier. can be independent. artificial leg? I have had to get a new leg every Even with a disability, you can do I was so eager to walk. When the six months. There have been seven almost everything, but it does take limb-fitting centre gave me my first so far, because I’ve grown so hard work. Me, I plan to go to uni- artificial leg, I started running and quickly. I’m one metre ninety now, versity to study to become a doc- the thing broke! But it wasn’t diffi- but I don’t think I will have to go to tor. In the village where I live, cult learning how to walk with an the Centre so often because I’ve there is only one doctor for 6,000 artificial leg. I could do it immedi- stopped growing. people. We need more doctors. Source: ICRC
16 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OUTREACH PHOTO: ICRC/SFD
centers throughout Africa. Each re- plains that a prosthesis needs to be re- Becoming a prosthetic/orthotic mains at the center for three to four placed every two to three years or about technician requires three-four weeks, where they conduct comprehen- every six months in the case of children. sive patient evaluations and provide “We estimate that someone first fitted years of rigorous training. staff – who are mostly local – with thor- with a prosthesis at the age of five would SFD sponsorship helps reha- ough feedback on the devices that have need approximately 25 replacements been produced and fitted there. “We throughout life.” bilitation centers develop want the local technicians to understand Physiotherapy is also vital for help- these vital skills. that they must carry out this delicate ing an individual become accustomed to task as perfectly as possible,” explains the new device, learn to walk and carry Professor le Coultre. out day-to day-tasks. “It gives patients For a rehabilitation center to receive confidence, and the staff at the centers assistance from the SFD, it has to un- are also on hand to talk to these people dergo an evaluation process to ensure and help ease their fears about this new that it has the necessary infrastructure chapter in their lives,” says the Professor. and technical capacity to treat patients. Indeed promoting mobility is the SFD’s It must also possess some level of finan- ultimate aim, as captured in its motto: cial and managerial autonomy. “To walk and work again.” “What also must be borne in mind For more information about the is that the rehabilitation centers are pro- ICRC/SFD, visit their website at viding continuous services to each pa- http://www.icrc.org/fund-disabled tient,” says Professor le Coultre, who ex-
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 17 PHOTO: YRG CARE
Village women in India holding AIDS vaccine trial kits provided by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative. AIDS vaccine breakthrough OFID supports clinical trials
In furtherance of its mission to fight the global AIDS pandemic, OFID in December pledged its support to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). An OFID grant of US$3.5 million will bolster IAVI’s research and development program, as it works to develop a vaccine to limit further transmission of the virus.
18 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OUTREACH
ince the initial identification by S scientists of HIV as the cause of AIDS, the relentless spread of the disease has transformed it into the worst recorded pandemic in human history. PHOTO: AGNES NEBEHAY While billions of dollars have been poured into initiatives that seek to halt transmission by raising awareness of protection methods, for example, IAVI is the only global organization dedi- cated exclusively to developing an ef- fective AIDS vaccine. According to Dr. Seth Berkley, Pres- ident and CEO of IAVI, the severity of the pandemic is such that it is vital to look beyond temporary, stop-gap meas- ures: “The world is unfortunately fo- cused on short-term issues, and in this case it is an emergency and rightfully so, yet we must focus on the long-term issues. Short-term interventions do not work, so the question is how to balance our efforts, recognizing the long–term issues as well.” The OFID grant comes at a crucial point in IAVI’s research, coinciding with the announcement of modest achievements in Phase II of the Initia- tive’s clinical trials. Says Berkely: “This small success can only mean positive re- sults.” IAVI was born out of discussions stemming from a meeting of the Rocke- feller Foundation with of 24 authorities on the disease in Bellagio, Italy, a decade after HIV was identified. The initiative Dr. Seth Berkley, President and CEO of IAVI with OFID Director-General Al-Herbish. was formally launched at the start of 1996, as a non-profit public-private product findings led to trials being conducted in development partnership. Its first chal- Nairobi and the creation of a Kenya lenge was to make AIDS vaccine develop- AIDS Vaccine Initiative (KAVI). IAVI ment a priority on the global public launched its first vaccine development health agenda. Today, IAVI has a strong partnership in 1998 with KAVI and has network of research center and operates since conducted six HIV vaccine clinical in 25 countries worldwide, many of them trials and seven epidemiology studies. functioning as regional hubs. The OFID grant will target further study IAVI’s chief hub is its clinical re- on identifying the relevant antibodies search center in Kenya, where a high in- with a view to eventually providing pro- cidence was discovered of women who tection before exposure. were exposed to the virus yet remained In parallel to the Kenyan efforts, uninfected. Scientists began to study the IAVI began work in India in 2000 after type of immune responses these women signing a memorandum of understand- had and recreate it via a vaccine. These ing with the Indian Ministry of Health
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 19 OUTREACH
Achievements in clinical trials have raised hopes that progress is being made in identifying antibodies that could
form the basis of a PHOTO: VANESSA VICK, COURTESY OF IAVI vaccine against the HIV virus.
and Family Welfare. IAVI believes fort. With this in mind, IAVI systemat- India to be a strong partner because of ically cultivates and sustains such sup- its rich pool of medical professionals port in its worldwide initiative. Dr. and scientists together with a successful Berkley considers the sustainability of pharmaceutical industry. Its potential political support to be an essential as- in playing a leading role in the AIDS pect for the success of any trial: “In the vaccine research and development end, bad science will destroy a trial, but pushed IAVI to activate its efforts in the so will bad politics or misunderstand- country in 2001. ings,” he states. In its global efforts IAVI has cre- Another integral part of the trial is ated a broad program that covers tech- IAVI’s strong emphasis on reaching out nical capacity-building, reaching out to to the community. Much of IAVI’s activ- the local communities, advocacy and ities in each country are followed with political engagement. IAVI believes thorough attention to different religious that these elements together form the and cultural community groups and foundations for creating the long-term strong collaboration on the specific solution necessary for eradicating the needs of each community. What makes epidemic. IAVI’s work so valuable is the strong eth- High-level political support and ical human research component in con- sound policy are also essential to the ducting its trials. IAVI believes that rely- sustainability of the AIDS vaccine ef- ing on community relationships allows
20 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OUTREACH
for a deeper understanding of the limi- IAVI continues to work closely with The severity of the AIDS tations, one of which is cost: for every communities on the ground to work two people put on treatment, another around difficulties relevant to those pandemic is such that is five infections go untreated. communities. On the other hand, IAVI is vital to look beyond IAVI understands that community discovered that due to its standardized temporary, stop-gap bind is critical and requires layers of lab values and strong technical capacity support. One of the main areas IAVI fo- building, the operations within Africa measures. Short-term cuses on is women and their participa- and India have an even better standard emergency needs need to tion in the clinical trials. Due to gender than in the west. “We need to know that constraints in many of the communi- a vaccine tested in Africa can be tested be balanced with the ties it operates in, IAVI pays special at- elsewhere,” says Dr. Berkely. pursuit of a long-term tention to all elements that are gender OFID’s grant will support IAVI’s solution. specified, allowing for access to specific extensive research and development needs, from counselling, to medical program in Africa and India. The IAVI/ care and advocacy in relation to stigma- OFID partnership also includes capacity- tization. building measures and provision of One of the major trends in IAVI’s support to IAVI’s highest-priority re- programs in Asia and Africa is the small search program at its clinical research number of women enrolments due to center in Kenya, under the Kenya AIDS constraints such as marital issues and Vaccine Initiative. At the signature of pregnancy as well as cultural factors. A the grant agreement, Dr. Berkley ex- crucial element in the success of the tri- pressed his appreciation of OFID’s sup- als to date is the considerable research port to the initiative and stated that, into why women were not participating “We will find a vaccine, not only for and the substantial efforts that followed those communities, but for the whole to ensure their integration. world.”
IAVI in brief
IAVI is a global non-profit organization working to speed the search for a vaccine to prevent HIV and AIDS. IAVI sponsors public-private research partnerships to build
vaccine candidates and test them in humans. Following PHOTO: DAISY OUYA OF IAVI its official launch in 1996, and with the support of organ- izations and partner countries, IAVI helped build an advocacy initiative that resulted in the G8 issuing a “Call for Action” on HIV vaccines in 1997. The following year, the young product development partnership produced the first Scientific Blueprint for AIDS Vaccine Develop- ment, which called for greater international collaboration to fast-track the parallel development of multiple HIV vaccines, and for a stronger focus on vaccine candidates devised to combat strains of HIV circulating in Africa and Asia. IAVI also advocates on behalf of vaccine developers worldwide, and for public policies that assure accessibility.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 21 OUTREACH
OFID partners with Standard Chartered PLC
As the circle of partners and cooperating countries involved with OFID in trade financing continues to grow, the institu- tion in October, 2009, signed a risk sharing agreement with Standard Chartered Bank PLC, to help boost trade, particularly South-South trade, and encourage greater financing for emerging markets and developing countries.
he agreement with Standard Char- port” to cooperating countries to help T tered provides for implementation alleviate difficulties relating to access- of a program of risk-sharing in an amount ing credit “in these days of credit dis- of US$500 million. This would be equally ruption.” The agreement will build on shared between the two partners. The Standard Chartered’s global network agreement is expected to generate an esti- and trade origination capacity. This is mated incremental trade of US$2 billion in line with OFID’s Trade Finance annually. Facility (TFF), which was initiated in The accord was signed on behalf of 2006 to promote economic develop- OFID by Director-General Suleiman ment (through trade financing) and J. Al-Herbish, while Ms. Karen Fawcett, strengthen the financial systems of part- Standard’s Global Head of Transaction ner countries. Banking, signed for the bank. Eighty In her own statement at the signa- banks in 18 emerging markets and devel- ture ceremony, Ms. Fawcett said the oping countries stand to benefit from the agreement and the expected incremental program, which may be expanded to in- trade would be “an excellent example for clude more countries and more banks as multilateral agencies and private sector demand manifests itself. financiers looking for a well-structured At the signature ceremony, Mr. method for supporting trade originating Al-Herbish said OFID sees the program from developing economies in these diffi- as part of its strategy of “scaling up sup- cult times.”
22 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 PHOTO: KARIN OSZUSZKY/OFID
Ms. Karen Fawcett, Global Head of Transactional Banking, Standard Chartered, and Mr. Al-Herbish, OFID Director-General.
OFID’s TFF took off to a speedy start and expand their engagement with global some of the world’s most dynamic mar- has seen a trajectory of growth not pre- trading partners, but uncertainties regard- kets, leading the way in Africa, Asia and dicted at its establishment. The facility ing performance may inhibit potential the Middle East. The Group’s income and takes the form of guarantees, lines of suppliers and customers. International profits have more than doubled over the credit and straightforward loans. It is re- banks may not be able to accept letters of last five years, primarily as a result of sponding to growing demand for financ- credit or other guarantees offered by local organic growth. ing to help overcome obstacles. banks, reflecting concerns about the Standard Chartered earns around For OFID, trade financing is a natural speed and effectiveness of payment or ex- 90 percent of its income and profits in progression in its efforts to align with the posure to political and commercial risks. Asia, Africa and the Middle East, from economic development demands of part- Through the TFF, OFID can help over- its Wholesale and Consumer Banking ner countries. Trade financing comple- come these obstacles. All developing businesses. The Group has over 1,600 ments OFID’s broadening range of fi- countries, with the exception of OFID branches and outlets located in more nancing windows, which include long- member states, are eligible to benefit from than 70 countries. OFID is pleased to be and medium-term projects and programs the facility. involved with the Bank in pursuit of in the public and private sectors. OFID’s For its part, Standard Chartered is economic development, in low-income TFF promotes development by meeting listed on the London- and Hong Kong countries, via trade financing. the trade financing needs of institutions Stock Exchange. It ranks among the top in partner countries, including govern- 25 companies in the Financial Times’ ments, banks and private enterprises. FTSE-100 by market capitalization. With Many low-income countries have headquarters in London, the Standard the resources and technical ability to Group has operated for over 150 years in
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 23 October - December 2009
Technical assistance OCTOBER 2 OCTOBER 9 grants approved OCTOBER 16 Emergency assistance 128th Session of the United Nations High Commis- OFID Director-General receives grant approved Governing Board approves sioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Moroccan national award US$1 million. This grant will sup- Indonesia and the Philippines. US$170 million in fresh OFID Director-General, Mr. port the reintegration assistance US$750,000. This grant helped to financing Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, was activities of the UNHCR, which is procure emergency supplies and awarded the Moroccan Order of Project loans approved ensuring the safe return of Mauri- finance relief operations for earth- Wissam Al Alaoui. The honor, tanian refugees from Senegal and quake and typhoon victims. The Botswana. US$40 million. with the Grade of Commander, Integrated Transport. Mali. UNHCR plans on providing grant was channeled through the was conferred on Mr. Al-Herbish returnees with the support services International Federation of Red China. US$10 million. by HE Dr. Omar Zniber, Ambassa- needed to facilitate their reintegra- dor of Morocco to Austria and Per- Cross and Red Crescent Societies Gansu Healthcare. tion; ensuring that they receive manent Representative to the (IFRC). The proceeds were distrib- Cuba. US$17 million. Las Tunas access to basic social services; International Organizations in uted to the National Red Crescent Province Water Supply System and developing projects aimed at Vienna, acting on behalf of King Societies of each country as fol- Rehabilitation. assisting communities that will Mohammed VI of Morocco. lows: US$500,000 to the Republic Malawi. US$11 million. accommodate the returnees. Mr. Al-Herbish was praised for Teacher Training Colleges. of Indonesia and US$250,000 to accomplishments relating to the International Committee of the the Republic of the Philippines. Philippines. US$30 million. worldwide engagement of OFID and Road Sector Institutional Develop- Red Cross Special Fund for the the institution’s support toward OCTOBER 2-6 ment and Investment Program. Disabled (SFD). US$800,000. the promotion of socio-economic Tajikistan. US$13 million. This grant will support operations development in Morocco. Kulyab-Kalaikhum Road. in 15 SFD collaborative national Public Sector loan centers in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, agreements signed Tanzania. US$12 million. Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, NOVEMBER 2-4 Poverty Reduction, Phase II. Ethiopia. US$15 million. Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Nekemte-Bedelle Road. Turkey. US$36.8 million (€25 mil- Zimbabwe), as well as the SFD OFID Director-General meets lion). Ankara-Istanbul Railway regional office in Addis Ababa, with Albanian President Colombia. US$30 million. Upgrading. La Linea II (Centennial) Tunnel. Ethiopia. See story, page 14. OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, led a Grant approved under the King Hussein Cancer Center. Congo Republic. US$7 million. high-level delegation to Tirana, Special Grant Account for US$600,000. This grant will Rural Development in the Lik- Albania. One of the highlights HIV/AIDS Operations co-finance the upgrading of ouala, Pool and Sangha of the mission was an audience OFID/IAVI (International AIDS radiology equipment at the King Departments. with the Albanian President Vaccine Initiative). US$3.5 mil- Hussein Cancer Foundation Haiti. US$15 million. Péligre Hy- Professor Dr. Bamir Topi. The lion. This grant will co-finance a (KHCF) in Jordan. droelectric Plant Rehabilitation Director-General delivered a joint initiative of OFID and the See story, page 4. Program. IAVI, the only global organization keynote address at the 2nd Inter- national Conference on Foreign Rwanda. US$10 million. dedicated exclusively to develop- Investment in Albania and held a Electricity Access Scale-Up. ing an effective AIDS vaccine. See story, page 18. OCTOBER 13 number of meetings with various Mauritius. US$8.07 million. Terre government officials. The delega- Rouge Verdun Ebene Road (Phase II). Grant approved under the Emergency assistance tion also visited sites of two OFID Special Grant Account for grant approved co-financed projects. Paraguay. US$29 million. National Palestine Rural Roads Program (Phase II). World Food Program (WFP). Assistance to Civil Society US$500,000. This grant was Organizations in the West Bank, NOVEMBER 17-20 approved to assist global efforts OCTOBER 5 Palestine, Phase II. US$2.5 mil- to battle growing hunger across Al-Herbish heads high-level lion. This grant will be distributed the world. It was announced on mission to Lebanon Trade Financing among 25 Palestinian NGOs that World Food Day, which this year agreement signed are providing vital assistance in Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, OFID the areas of education, health had the theme Achieving Food Director-General, led a high-level, OFID and Standard Chartered and agriculture, as well as social Security in Times of Crisis. four-day mission to Lebanon, Bank signed a US$500 million and community development. Proceeds from the OFID grant, where he met with Lebanese Presi- risk sharing agreement to help The funds will help ensure that which will be channeled through dent, General Michel Sleiman, boost trade and to encourage the NGOs can continue deliver- the WFP, will be used to support and attended the Second Annual more trade financing to emerging ing services that would otherwise the organization’s latest emer- Conference of the Arab Forum for and developing countries. be unavailable to the Palestinian gency food assistance program Environment and Development See story, page 22. population. in low-income countries. (AFED). See story, page 43.
24 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OFID DIARY
the Sudan and Yemen. This will be out in Bangladesh, Bhutan, NOVEMBER 23 DECEMBER 17 achieved by carrying out capacity- Nepal and Pakistan. building among NGOs and gov- Research grants approved 129th Session of the ernmental institutions that target Grant approved under the Governing Board approves the needs of disadvantaged Special Grant Account for Palestine Center for World Food Studies. 10 public sector loans women. US$150,000. This grant will spon- United Nations Development sor a project entitled Improving Project loans approved Grant approved under the Program (UNDP). US$2 million. Pastoral System’s Drought Resilience Special Grant Account for Azerbaijan. €20 million. This grant will support interven- in Afar State, Ethiopia. The project HIV/AIDS Operations Janub Power Plant. tions necessary to increase the will implement a Decision Support World Health Organization efficient use of water for irrigation Tool, which will assist policy- Benin. US$11 million. Kandi- (WHO). US$3.5 million. This in the northwestern districts of makers in the planning of drought- Segbana-Nigeria Border Road. grant will support an OFID/WHO the West Bank. Works to be car- coping strategies for pastoralist Burundi. US$8 million. Partnership on the Prevention of ried out include the upgrading of societies in the Awash Basin. Ntamba-Ndora Road. Transfusion-Transmitted HIV/AIDS groundwater wells and irrigation systems, as well as the construc- Fransalian Organization for and Hepatitis Infections in Priority Central African Republic. Countries. Activities will be carried tion of water storage facilities. Social Transformation, Educa- US$9.3 million. Commodity tion and Renewal (FOSTER). Import Program. US$100,000. This grant will support the construction of a Jamaica. US$10 million. secondary school and hostel for Eastern Jamaica Rural Roads Meetings attended by OFID homeless and impoverished Rehabilitation. children and youth in Tabora, Kenya. US$10 million. Tanzania. The scheme will also Dundori Olkalou Njabini Road OCTOBER 7 NOVEMBER 16-17 ensure that beneficiary children (Supplementary Loan). are provided with clothing, VIENNA, AUSTRIA WASHINGTON DC, USA meals, medical care and shelter. Morocco. US$30 million. 20th Anniversary of the Austro Joint Conference of the Bank Rural Roads Rehabilitation and Arab Chamber of Commerce for International Settlements University of Vienna, Austria. Construction – Phase II. (BIS), European Central Bank US$15,000. This grant will sponsor the translation of the Sri Lanka. US$16 million. OCTOBER 2-7 (ECB) and the World Bank Kalu Ganga Development. Virtual Museum of Islamic Art ISTANBUL, TURKEY website from German to English. Tanzania. US$12 million. 2009 World Bank/IMF Annual NOVEMBER 19-20 This project will enable non- Same Water Supply. Meetings, G-24 Ministers Meet- BEIRUT, LEBANON German speaking public internet Uganda. US$22.95 million. ing, Development Committee Annual Conference of the users, as well as university libraries, Meeting and the Meeting journalists, museum staff and Vocational Education. Arab Forum on Environment of the Multilateral Finance scholars, to benefit from the and Development Technical assistance Institutions website. grants approved NOVEMBER 25 Austrian Red Cross (ARC). NOVEMBER 1-3 US$450,000. Since 1983, the ARC ROME, ITALY DECEMBER 9-10 RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA has been working in cooperation Assembly of Parties, Annual Meeting of the Coordination with the Nepalese Red Cross meeting of the International Mr. Al-Herbish heads Group of Arab/OPEC/Islamic Society to help reduce poverty in Development Law Organization delegation to Kuwait some of the poorest areas in the Development Aid Institutions OFID Director-General, led a country by carrying out commu- delegation to Kuwait to attend nity development programs. NOVEMBER 13-14 DECEMBER 7-11 the FIKR 8 Conference, which The present scheme will conduct OXFORD, UK COPENHAGEN, DENMARK was organized by the Arab similar activities in nine villages Oxford Energy Institute Board United Nations Climate Thought Foundation. The in the Rukum District in Nepal. Change Conference (COP 15) Conference was co-sponsored Meeting / Oxford Energy Policy Carter Center. US$500,000. by OFID with a US$100,000 grant. Club Session This grant will support an See story, page 46. DECEMBER 8-9 ongoing Guinea Worm Disease eradication program in six en- NOVEMBER 17-18 JOHANNESBURG, DECEMBER 14 demic African countries: Ethiopia, BEIRUT, LEBANON SOUTH AFRICA Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Byblos Bank Africa, Byblos International Energy Forum Public Sector loan the Sudan. The program, which Bank Syria Board Meetings Symposium on Energy Poverty agreement signed is in its final phase, aims at achiev- ing full eradication of the illness DECEMBER 9-10 Panama. US$1.8 million. by the end of 2012. OFID has also NOVEMBER 16-18 Participative Development provided support to earlier phases ROME, ITALY KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT and Rural Modernization. of the program. World Food Summit on Food FIKR 8 Conference Center of Arab Women for Security, FAO Arab Thought Foundation DECEMBER 16 Training and Research. US$500,000. This grant was NOVEMBER 18-19 Trade financing extended to support a project that LONDON, UK agreement signed aims at helping improve socio-eco- Sierra Leone Investment and nomic conditions among women Donor Conference Amrahbank of Azerbaijan. in six Arab countries; namely, www.ofid.org US$2 million Line of Credit. Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Jordan,
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 25 OFID DIARY
LOAN SIGNATURE PHOTO: RANYA NEHMEH/OFID
October 3 HE Sufian Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Economic Development of Ethiopia (far left) shakes hands with Mr. Al-Herbish after signing a US$15 million loan agreement for October 5 a transportation project. HE Dionisio Borda, Minister of Finance of Paraguay, secured a US$29 million loan to help upgrade rural roads
in a number of moun- PHOTO: RANYA NEHMEH/OFID tainous parishes.
26 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OFID DIARY
December 16 Mr. Emil Mammadov, Chairman, Amrahbank. The Bank has taken a US$2 million line of credit to help expand its services. PHOTO: RANYA NEHMEH/OFID
October 3 HE Daniel Dorsainvil, Minister of Economy and Finance of Haiti, signing the loan agreement. The US$15 million credit will help finance upgrading of the Péligre Hydroelectric Plant.
December 14 Mr. Luis Enrique Martinez, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the Republic of Panama in Vienna, concluded a US$1.8 million loan in support of a multi-faceted rural development project.
The full list of loan signatures can be found on pages 24-25.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 27 OFID DIARY
HE Jamal Nasser Lootah, Chairman of the Governing Board.
Mr. Elboueshi M. Ellafi, Governor of the GSP Libyan AJ to OFID.
129th Session of the Governing Board
Meeting in its 129th Session in Vienna, the Governing Board of OFID approved over US$160 million in fresh financing for development. The funds will support public sector projects in 10 countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean in sectors as diverse as agriculture, education, energy, water supply and transportation. Six grant-financed initiatives were also approved.
28 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 OFID DIARY
HE Dr. Ochi Chinoyerem Achinivu, Nigerian Governor to OFID.
Mr. Mohamed Benmeradi, Governor of Algeria to OFID.
Mr. Azez J. Hassan, Iraqi Governor to OFID.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 29 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PHOTO: UNICEF/HQ04-1226/GIACOMO PIROZZI
Education and awareness are key tools for shaking off the ignorance and stigma that surround AIDS, especially among young women, who remain the most susceptible to infection.
HIV/AIDS: protecting the vulnerable
by Verena Ringler A decade ago, our TV screens were alive with stories and pictures of children affected by AIDS. Today, millions of youngsters are still living with the fallout of a pandemic that has fractured their families and changed their lives forever. As experts gear up for the July 2010 XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, the OFID Quarterly asks what lessons these children have taught us.
30 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
M polokeng and Sello are the faces of been saved or improved in the past years, We further know that the face of AIDS is thousands of children confronted and more mothers can access transmis- increasingly young and female. Girls in with enormous odds: Both Mpolokeng, sion prevention programs to protect their sub-Saharan Africa continue to be dispro- an 18-year-old girl, and Sello, an 18-year- unborn children from infection. portionately vulnerable to HIV infection old boy, live in Lesotho, where HIV/AIDS But we also know a massive social ef- and account for nearly 75 percent of all in- prevalence among adults stands at 23.2 fort is needed. Even with antiretroviral fections in young people because of percent. Both youngsters recently lost treatment becoming more widely available, strong social, cultural and economic de- their parents to AIDS; both are heading it is crucial to include human rights, legal, pendency. Gender-based discrimination their households and taking care of social, psychological, cultural and other and violence are significant barriers to ac- younger siblings; and both are struggling perspectives in our effort against HIV. cessing social services and negatively to make ends meet. Mpolokeng has had to drop out of school; Sello takes care of the family’s few remaining cattle. Mpolokeng and Sello are just two of an estimated 17 million children world- PHOTO: UNESCO wide who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Many more are affected in other ways by HIV/AIDS in their communities. All of them face a complex set of problems. Governments and experts continue to pay into large programs to combat HIV/AIDS among children – just consider the robust commitment of OFID and UNICEF in 17 countries from Guyana to Angola to Sri Lanka (see box). Medical ef- forts include prevention of mother-to- child transmission and direct treatment. Celebrity ambassadors like Annie Lennox parade the PR-catwalk to promote the unity of purpose needed in this over- whelming struggle. Three decades into the global spread of HIV/AIDS, the devel- opment community realizes just how profoundly HIV/AIDS has challenged us to debunk truisms, break taboos and ad- mit truths. We know a lot more than we used to: we know children are not merely an extension of adults. We know children deserve to be high on the global AIDS agenda. We know that the current eco- nomic crisis is likely to worsen poverty in households, which in turn negatively af- fects children’s wellbeing. We also know that any effort to help vulnerable chil- dren needs to involve the whole commu- nity in order to avoid abuse and conflict. On the medical front, we know that Peer-to-peer outreach, as in this OFID/UNESCO project in pediatric HIV care and treatment needs to become an integral part of infant and Uzbekistan, has proved an effective means of conveying child survival and health programs. We important messages about HIV and AIDS among young people. know that, fortunately, many lives have
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 31 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
impact individual ability to exercise OFID and UNICEF – making a difference self-protection choices. Last but not least, we know that peer education harbors a large potential for triggering behavioral change among sex- ually active teenagers. Current attempts include the Sister-to-Sister program in Malawi, Tanzania and Namibia. Here, fe- male peer counselors (big sisters) sup- ported by young female health workers are trained to deliver intensive classes to
PHOTO: UNICEF/HQ04-1226/GIACOMO PIROZZI girls. The content of such sessions sur- rounds life skills including sexual topics and how HIV/AIDS infection can be avoided. So, our knowledge about HIV/AIDS and how it relates to children has vastly improved. But how can we harness these insights and turn them into positive ac- tion? Rachel Yates, UNICEF’s Senior Ad- viser on Children and HIV/AIDS, and a development practitioner of many years experience, summarizes the lessons learned and points to the way forward: Lesson One: Children living with AIDS need access to treatment. By the end of 2008 only an estimated 275,000 were receiving treatment out of a total of 730,000. Whilst this represents an in- The joint OFID/UNICEF Mother/Child Global Project to Fight crease of nearly 40 percent over 2007, the gap is still huge. HIV/AIDS was launched in 2006 with a number of key objectives: to Lesson Two: Children need the love offer protection, care and support for children made vulnerable by and support of families and communities. AIDS, including orphans; to provide HIV prevention and life skills Institutional care such as orphanages development to street children; and, to prevent mother to child should be a temporary measure and a last transmission of HIV. The initiative covered 11 countries in sub-Saharan resort. Africa, four in Latin America and the Caribbean, and two in Asia. Lesson Three: Orphans and other vulnerable children are often at a disad- By the conclusion of the two-year initiative, great strides had been vantage when it comes to accessing basic made in all three target areas, with many of the advances the result of services such as education. Keeping boys capacity building and the scaling-up of responses at both national and and girls in school is very important to community levels. In Rwanda, for example, the establishment of a track- ensure continuing access to education ing system for mother-to-child-transmission successfully brought back and also to keep children in a supportive environment where they can get access 400 HIV positive children, who had been lost to follow-up. In Haiti, to other services (e.g. life skills for HIV OFID’s grant provided support to a community program offering prevention and psycho-social support for psychosocial assistance to children and their family caregivers living in children who have lost parents). Port-au-Prince. And in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, life skills development Lesson Four: Protecting children programs were devised to help support young people and adolescents, from all forms of abuse is crucial. Chil- especially those most at risk to HIV and AIDS. dren affected by AIDS are often at higher risk of being driven into harmful child labor, or of being physically and sexu-
32 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
ally abused. Supporting community Mpolonkeng and Sello might also relate child protection committees can be a to the gender factor which Linda Richter, Lessons learned about way to help safeguard children at risk of a Swedish expert on the topic, explores: children and AIDS abuse. “While girls are, overall, more vulnerable Lessons Five: Adolescents and young than boys, studies of school drop-out, • Children living with AIDS need people need comprehensive and correct child labor, children’s time-use, traffick- improved access to treatment. knowledge about HIV and how to avoid ing and sexual exploitation show that • Institutional care such as transmission. Many young people con- boys are also vulnerable and should not orphanages should be a tinue to be infected. In 2007 an estimated be neglected. Moreover, neglect for boys’ temporary measure and a 45 percent of new cases were found care may contribute later to the violence last resort. among young people age 15-24. men perpetrate on women and children.” Mpolokeng and Sello, the two Mpolonkeng and Sello might fur- • Children should be kept in Lesotho teenagers, would probably agree thermore subscribe to the best practice school to ensure access to with Rachel Yates about her emphasis on package for fighting the impact of vital psycho/social services. a robust combination of social and med- HIV/AIDS everywhere: this mix includes • It is crucial to protect children ical interventions. After all, these two high level government ownership and affected by AIDS from abuse. teenage orphans know the particularly vi- sustained leadership in fighting HIV, cious circle opening up for children af- donors with a good understanding of lo- • Adolescents and young people fected by HIV. Can you go to school? Can cal politics and the policymaking process, need to be taught about HIV you escape stigma and sidelining in your the involvement of and support by civil and how to avoid infection. community? Can you avoid the avenues society organizations, as well as account- to violence or illegal activities? Can you ability and political pressure. A success- pursue a career? Do you get information, ful process also needs committed, dy- support, and counselling – and do your namic individuals, consultative practices, non-affected peers get the same? and the availability of resources. Thus, Mpolokeng and Sello would Despite the great challenges they likely not be surprised to hear the tale of face in their own lives in Lesotho, both 15 HIV-positive children at the Mai Hoa Mpolokeng and Sello possess what espe- Centre near Ho Chi Minh City in Viet- cially vulnerable children need: an as- nam. On a Monday morning in Septem- tounding resilience. These two orphaned ber 2009, they were excited to be starting teenagers have hopes and dreams for the high school. “But when we got to school, future. The reason for that is a large, ongo- the parents of the other children were just ing participatory effort of providing child- standing there and then they started tak- headed households in the country with ing their children home. I was so sad. Be- cash grants. Mpolokeng and Sello are two cause I knew they were scared of us, scared of the recipients. “My greatest wish is to of our disease,” 12-year-old Tuyen told a go back to school so that I can become a reporter of the United States National teacher and help other children learn and Public Radio. Jesper Morch, Vietnam’s grow,” says Mpolokeng. Sello, now an ex- UNICEF representative, took the incident perienced herd boy, voices his passion, as a reminder that “the misconceptions, saying: “Cows are my life. Now, I can buy the myths, they exist anywhere and at a new cow. My cattle make sure that we any time. Stigma and discrimination is survive and that my younger brother and close to unavoidable.” sister can stay in school.”
Further Reading: The Fourth Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS, a joint annual effort by UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO, is published at www.uniteforchildren.org, a site also offering teaching and advocacy kits. The BetterCareNetwork, http://www.crin.org/bcn/, deals with best forms for protection and care for children, which exclude orphanages.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 33 IEF holds energy poverty symposium in South Africa Participants call for tangible results in alleviation efforts
PHOTO: IEFS
The Republic of South Africa, December 8-9, The symposium followed the recom- mendations of the 11th IEF which was hosted in the City of Johannesburg, an held in Rome, April 20-22, 2008. The Rome Forum noted that “lack of access International Energy Forum (IEF) Symposium to modern energy services…perpetuated on Energy Poverty. This was a joint effort by the poverty cycle and inhibited eco- nomic development, availability of the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based IEF and the clean water and food, while preventing education and training and acceptable South African Ministry of Energy, bringing health standards.” together energy specialists and independent Ministers at the Rome Forum called for solidarity among IEF countries and a experts from various countries and interna- change in the collective efforts of all rel- evant international organizations to help tional organizations, among them OFID. achieve the MDGs by halving poverty rates. The message echoed that of the ad hoc Jeddah and London Energy Meetings he objective of the symposium was for presentation to energy ministers at (June and December 2008, respectively), T to explore ways and means of re- the 12th IEF scheduled for Mexico, March where Ministers called for the intensifica- versing the difficulties associated with 29-31, 2010. tion of efforts from national, regional energy poverty and, via informed dia- The symposium agreed that energy and international finance and aid institu- logue, move toward achieving the Mil- poverty programs are severely under- tions to alleviate the consequences of lennium Development Goal (MDG) of erad- funded; and that the current financial high and volatile oil prices on the least- icating extreme poverty and hunger by crisis has made an already difficult situa- developed countries and agreed on the 2015. Participants included officials tion critical. Lack of access to, and afford- importance of multilateral measures to from developed and developing coun- ability of, modern energy services bur- mitigate this effect. tries; representatives of government and dens nearly two billion people and con- Participants at the Johannesburg industry; finance institutions; non-gov- tinues to impede the achievement of the symposium concluded that concerted ac- ernmental organizations and interna- MDGs. Despite efforts, energy poverty tion should be taken against energy tional aid agencies. They made recom- has retained an upward trend through poverty, as the issue stalls progress in mendations on ending energy poverty recent years. achieving the MDGs. They said capacity
34 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
building in statistics was necessary to private sectors, international financial is set to increase to 2.6 billion by 2020, provide a basis for the development of institutions should scale-up their opera- according to IEA projections. benchmarks and indicators for energy tions, enhance international coordina- • The causes of energy poverty cannot be poverty against which needs could be de- tion and effectiveness, support national separated from the causes of general fined and progress measured. A Venezue- or regional programs and trans-border poverty; the two are related. lan delegation drawn from the Venezue- projects and back human resource and • Improving energy access may not be a lan national oil company, PDVSA, pre- institutional capacity building. Partici- sufficient condition to accelerate eco- sented a Proposal for a Solidarity-Based En- pants suggested that financing from in- nomic and social development, but no ergy Cooperation designed to combat en- ternational financing institutions should nation has significantly reduced its ergy poverty in the 49 poorest countries be refocused on infrastructure, regional poverty levels without increasing its of the world. The delegation posited that integration projects and local projects energy usage. the potential existed for inter-govern- that have tangible results in alleviation of mental cooperation to assist in the reduc- the poverty situation. • The use of non-commercial fuels poses a severe health risk, affects longevity, tion of energy poverty. They called for Speaking at the close of the sympo- reduces the productive capacity of en- the creation of an ad hoc group to discuss sium, IEF Secretary General, Mr. Noé van tire communities and makes education the feasibility of their proposal. Hulst stated that “….no nation in history more difficult. In its own presentation, OFID has significantly reduced its poverty levels stressed that it was “not waiting for the without increasing its energy usage. It is • Although an international problem, announcement of a new Millennium De- crystal clear that access to modern energy energy poverty has a local dimension velopment Goal” to step up its fight services is one of the cornerstones of and can be improved through domestic against energy poverty, but had already poverty reduction and a key element in energy policy reform. “intensified its assistance,” using all the achieving the MDGs.” • Energy poverty programs are severely financing facilities at its disposal. In- Symposium participants reviewed under-funded, and the credit crisis has deed, OFID has approved a number of en- the role of different stakeholders and made this even worse. ergy-oriented public sector loans in re- reached a number of conclusions and • There is a need for greater dialogue be- cent months and expects to see growing recommendations: tween governments, and international private participation in the power sector • Energy poverty affects nearly every cor- efforts can better leverage economies in response to the huge scale of the in- ner of the globe to some extent, but is of scale to reach the largest number of vestment required. felt most in sub-Saharan Africa, South energy consumers and help reduce en- In general, Symposium participants Asia and Latin America. Some 2.5 bil- ergy poverty. observed that, in addition to their tradi- lion people lack access to modern fuels • The role of developed countries would tional role of lending to public and for cooking and heating and this figure be to provide financial and technology- related assistance to developing coun- tries, to help and support human re- Economic growth needs modern energy source development as well as institu- tional capacity building. This vicious circle Uncertain policy, price regulation • New impetus and more widespread inhibits capital spending participation are called for in the “En- ergy for the Poor” Initiative. Volatile economic performance Scarce finance The IEF is the world’s largest recur- for investment ring gathering of Energy Ministers. IEF member countries account for more than 90% of global oil and gas supply and Unreliable, high cost energy Inadequate demand. Through the Forum and its capital spending, associated events, ministers and energy maintenance industry executives participate in dialogue which is of increasing importance to global energy security. The next IEF Min- Outdated generating capacity, isterial Meeting will be hosted by Mexico transmission and distribution networks in Cancun, March 29-31, 2010. The co- hosts will be Germany and Kuwait.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 35 With the help of expertise from Indian agribusiness specialists Olam, Mozambique’s cashew farmers have increased processing capacity to meet rising demand.
PHOTO: OLAM INTERNATIONAL
on’t look now, but capitalism – D maligned in these bailout-ridden recessionary days – is reshaping Africa Asian inexorably. What is different today is that it is emanating from China and India, rather than from the conventional bas- tions of capitalist prowess. Devi Shetty, a celebrated cardiac sur- footsteps geon in Bangalore, brings health relief to India’s masses through his Narayana group of hospitals. Some years ago, I wit- nessed his early experiments with rural telemedicine, especially in the Indian in Africa states of Karnataka and West Bengal. In my visit last month, the wall was adorned by Tarun Khanna by a large map of Karnataka festooned Tarun Khanna is Professor of Business Administration at Harvard with colored pins, to indicate that he Business School. His latest book is Billions of Entrepreneurs: How now served most district capitals in the China and India are Reshaping their Futures and Yours. remotest parts of the state. Moreover, a world map showed outreach to rural areas of East Africa and Southeast Asia, and the
36 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
room has been upgraded to reflect a still- expanding global reach. Chinese Premier pledges US$10 billion in aid to Africa All this comes from carefully ac- quired experience – technical and socio- China is to further strengthen ties with Africa, following an logical – with delivering expert medical announcement by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the 4th Minis- advice through teleconference facilities, terial Conference of the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation aided by satellite links. Shetty’s team (FOCAC), in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, in early November. In addi- has successfully participated in telemed- tion to US$10 billion in soft loans over the next three years, icine consultations – multi-specialty, China has pledged to provide US$1 billion for on-lending to non-stop availability, and supple- small and medium-sized enterprises and to write-off government mented by continuing education – with loans to certain heavily-indebted poor countries. Other measures hospitals in 14 African countries. This announced by Wen included closer cooperation in tackling cli- effort is part of then Indian President Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao mate change, a China-Africa science and technology partnership, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s ambitious pan- and enhanced access to Chinese markets for African products. African e-Network project to link all 53 China will also support efforts to boost food security in Africa and otherwise improve African capitals to tertiary care facilities human development through investments in the healthcare and education sectors. The new across India. measures succeed those put forward by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the landmark Shetty is a healer, first and fore- Beijing Summit of FOCAC in 2006. most. But he is also an entrepreneur, and PHOTO: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM this is the latest in his many efforts to create successful, low-cost, but cutting- Cynics say that India’s e-Network is cur- across Africa has ensured that the Chi- edge medical ecosystems in tough loca- rying favor with Africa in exchange for nese are omnipresent there. China has tions worldwide. He aspires audaciously natural resources. Perhaps. But in that traded much investment in physical in- to what he calls the universal Walmarti- effort, India must contend with its frastructure in places otherwise shunned zation of healthcare – a reshaping of neighbor, China, which speaks with a – Angola, Sudan, and Zimbabwe – for ac- medical care that the world’s indigent louder voice and carries a larger stick. cess to natural resources. need, and in Africa more than most Chinese Communist Party Presi- Witness also an unprecedented other locations. dent Hu Jintao’s peripatetic diplomacy convening of 48 African heads of state and senior officials in Beijing in 2006 Working out of India, Dr. Devi Shetty has pioneered to signal unequivocally that China telemedicine services with hospitals in 14 African countries. would speak with the loudest voice. India tried to mimic the event, with an India-Africa summit in New Delhi in 2008. Fourteen countries attended to discuss food price inflation, energy needs, etc. Alas, India’s voice was drowned out, not by China’s attempts to provide medicine and education to Africa, but by PHOTO: NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA the sheer magnitude of Chinese state- owned enterprises’ investments in phys- ical infrastructure. But loud voices need not be the most effective. Indian influence will no doubt exploit assets less available to oth- ers, particularly the Indian diaspora in countries like South Africa, Kenya, Tan- zania, and Nigeria. India and Africa have been linked over the centuries by trade, religion, and post-imperial political con- sciousness. Gandhi and the Non-Aligned Movement remain important symbols. Indians are more part of Africa’s social
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 37 PHOTO: OLAM INTERNATIONAL
Olam has set up a cocoa tapestry than are the Chinese, a fabric The connection between Nigerian cashew program in Côte d’Ivoire to that has been strengthened through op- farmers and Devi Shetty’s pediatric car- portunity and adversity through the diac surgery is that they both represent improve livelihoods among ages. decentralized private activity, undertaken the farming community. Consider Olam, a Singapore-head- through the market, unlike the opera- quartered but Africa-centric global tions of the China National Petroleum Here, workers at a sustainable agribusiness company. From the soy- Corporation, Sinopec, and others in Dar- cocoa farm carry out quality bean farms of Brazil’s Matto Grosso to fur and elsewhere. They all add value, but control on solar-dried beans. the granaries of Ukraine, Olam is prized decentralized market-based activity ap- for its ability to add value in disparate pears likelier to engender additional conditions. goodwill. Olam was started by Indians in Nige- But there is more reshaping to come, ria and remains a world-beating trader in again fostered by mutual self-interest, cotton, coffee, cashews and the like. To rather than by fiat. The Olam and Wilmar succeed, Olam has had to work “up-coun- joint venture is, in a sense, symptomatic try” – a euphemism for difficult condi- of the combination of assets from across tions far from comfortable port cities – re- Asia that can catalyze productive change quiring it to rely on Indians’ familiarity in Africa. It is fitting that Olam, in He- with, and willingness to work in, Africa’s brew, means “transcending boundaries.” interior. Indeed, so competent is Olam Such symbiosis requires a healthy that when Wilmar, a Southeast Asian firm disregard for convention. Failures will re- run by overseas Chinese and a force in its sult, surely. But, to my mind, for the most own right in China and across Asia, part, decentralized experimentation beats sought to expand in Africa, it sought out Africa’s partial addiction to aid. Olam in a joint venture. Copyright: Project Syndicate
38 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Migration as an engine of human development
According to the 2009 Human Development Report, an annual publication of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), nearly one billion – or one out of seven – people in the world are migrants. The Report, Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development, argues that migration is often motivated by unequal socio-economic opportunities – both between and among nations – including incomes and access to social services such as education and healthcare.
ost migrants move within their raises employment levels in host commu- oping countries during the global eco- M own country: 740 million people nities and does not crowd out locals from nomic downturn, and continue to out- are internal migrants, almost four times the job market. While the impact of mi- strip the volume of official development the number of international migrants. Of grants on public finances is relatively assistance (ODA), which was estimated at the world’s 200 million international mi- small, there are broad gains in innovation US$119.8 billion in 2008. OFID Member grants, the majority relocated from one and investment in new business initia- Country Saudi Arabia remains the second developing country to another, or from tives. largest remittance sending country after one developed country to another. Less Since 1998, workers’ remittances the United States. As for recipients, India than one-third moved from a developing have been the second largest source of ex- receives the largest share, followed by to a developed country. For example, ternal financing for development after China and Mexico. only three percent of Africans live outside foreign direct investment. More recently, Most migrants reap the gains in the their country of birth. rising unemployment as a result of the form of higher incomes, better access to The Report provides ample evidence global financial and economic crisis re- education and health, and improved of the positive effects of migration on hu- duced remittances to an estimated prospects for their children. Proportion- man development. Contrary to com- US$290 billion in 2009, from US$305 bil- ately, the poorest and lower-skilled peo- monly held beliefs, migrants typically lion in the previous year. Nonetheless, re- ple of the world stand to gain most from boost economic output and give more mittances have shown a far more stable emigrating: migrants from the poorest than they take: immigration generally trend than private capital flows to devel- countries saw on average a 15-fold
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 39 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
among women than men, and women with tertiary degrees from developing countries are at least 40 percent more likely than male graduates to emigrate to developed economies. However, migration does not always bring the desired benefits. Risks to human PHOTO: GREGORY WRONA/ALAMY development are present where migra- tion is a reaction to threats and denial of choice, and where regular opportuni- ties for movement are constrained by conflict, natural disaster or severe eco- nomic hardship. An estimated 14 million refugees – or about seven percent of the world’s migrants – have been forced to live outside their country of citizenship. Moreover, the exodus of highly skilled workers abroad continues to pose major concerns for policy makers in many de- veloping countries. An ethnic food store in increase in income, a doubling in school The Report recommends several pol- enrolment rates and a 16-fold reduction icy reform measures to create a more con- London, England. Contrary in child mortality after moving to a devel- ducive environment for migration as a to commonly held beliefs, oped country. Yet, they also faced the part of national social and economic de- migrants typically boost greatest risk and the largest legal, finan- velopment strategies. These include host cial and social barriers. country restrictions to the movement of economic output in their There is further evidence that migra- workers, and ensuring fair treatment for adopted countries and tion can empower traditionally disadvan- migrants, including labor rights and basic taged groups, including women, whose human rights. In the area of international frequently give more than migration often leads to significant gains migration, the Report makes a strong case they take. in education and income, and who more for increased access to sectors with a high frequently send a larger proportion of demand for labor in developed countries their incomes home than men. In most with ageing populations, where the de- developing countries, emigration rates for mand for low-skilled migrant workers is skilled workers are substantially higher likely to increase over time.
Emigration rates by Human Development Index and income
Median emigration rates by origin country HDI group To developing countries Low HDI To developed countries Medium HDI
High HDI
Very high HDI
0 246810
Source: HDR team estimates based on Migration DRC (2007) and UN (2009e). Median emigration rate (%)
40 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Vienna High-Level Symposium reviews aid accountability and transparency
by Fatimah Zwanikken
he High Level Symposium on Ac- T countable and Transparent Develop- ment Cooperation: Towards a More Inclusive As the international development community Framework brought together some 150 gears itself up for the July 2010 Development high ranking representatives from both North and South, UN agencies, multilat- Cooperation Forum, a preparatory high-level eral, regional and bilateral development agencies – including OFID – academia and meeting at UN Headquarters in Vienna has been civil society. The main objective of the gathering was to review the quality of aid examining some of the tools and mechanisms in preparation for the second biennial UN needed to make development aid more effective. high-level Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), which is scheduled to take place in New York in July 2010. The DCF was launched in Geneva, greater coherence to the fragmented land- on means to improve the quality and ef- in July 2007, as a new biennial function scape for international development co- fectiveness of the development assistance within the UN Economic and Social operation by offering an inclusive plat- provided. Council (ECOSOC). The first DCF was form for global dialogue and policy re- The July 2010 DCF will focus on held in 2008. The Forum aims at bringing view, and by making recommendations three inter-related and mutually reinforc- ing areas: (i) aid policy coherence, (ii) mu- tual accountability and aid transparency, and (iii) South-South and triangular coop- eration. The Forum will be held in conjunc- tion with the 2010 UN-ECOSOC Annual PHOTO: LIBA TAYLOR/ALAMY Ministerial Review (AMR), a body tasked to review trends in development coopera- tion and improve coherence in the activ- ities of various development cooperation actors. Organized under the sub-title Im- plementing the Internationally Agreed De- velopment Goals (IADG) and commitments in regard to gender equality and the empow- erment of women, the 2010 AMR will assess progress towards the UN Millennium De- velopment Goals (MDGs) and other IADGs. Considering the disproportionate impact of today’s multiple crises on women, the 2010 AMR will pay special Attending an adult literacy class in Kenya. Women’s empowerment has been identified as a critical factor in determining the quality and effectiveness of aid.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 41 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Institutional capacity building attention to reviewing progress to- Empowerment. Particular attention was wards achieving gender equality and gender-sensi- among national parliaments, drawn to the importance of empowering women by 2015, as set out tive budgeting as a tool for linking financ- civil society organizations in MDG3. The AMR will explore key ing for development with gender main- and local government is one challenges in achieving the Beijing Decla- streaming. ration and Platform for Action adopted at Preparatory activities in Vienna also of the essential components the end of the Fourth UN World Confer- included specific sessions on improving of well-functioning mutual ence on Women, Beijing, China, 1995, policy coherence and setting common accountability mechanisms. and make action-oriented recommenda- standards with respect to South-South tions on means to help countries bridge and triangular development cooperation. the gender gap. Participants discussed, amongst other In the run up to the 2010 AMR, dis- things, how such cooperation can pro- cussions at the Vienna Symposium fo- mote other types of financing for devel- cused on addressing the major challenges opment, including domestic sources of fi- that donors and recipient countries face nancing, foreign direct investment flows, in making development cooperation and worker’s remittances from the per- more effective at the global, regional and spective of developing countries. national levels in the three areas of focus In view of the growing importance set out for the Second DCF. of South-South and triangular coopera- Among the key issues featured were tion, the need to improve information means to enhance mutual accountability and data on the financial flows arising and transparency and ways to make aid from such cooperation was emphasized. more predictable and less volatile; the lat- It was recognized that accurately measur- ter a weakness exposed by the current fi- ing such flows is fraught with difficulty nancial crisis. Participants agreed that in- because of the lack of clarity on defini- stitutional capacity building – including a tions and methodology. strengthening of the role of national par- Acknowledging these difficulties, liaments, civil society organizations and participants proposed to collect data on local government – together with sound such flows on a voluntary basis in two data and performance targets are impor- phases. In a first phase, national data tant requirements for well-functioning would be shared on the basis of agreed mutual accountability mechanisms. data concepts and definitions with a view A special session was dedicated to to achieving as much international data gender equality and the empowerment of comparability as possible. In a second women and their impact on aid quality phase, the data compiled would be re- and effectiveness. Participants under- ported in a standardized database format scored the importance of integrating gen- to the DCF for the purpose of fostering der into mutual accountability mecha- knowledge and understanding of the nisms, in line with the December 2008 scope of South-South flows as a manifes- OECD/DAC Guiding Principles for Aid Ef- tation of solidarity among developing fectiveness, Gender Equality, and Women’s countries.
42 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Arab countries debate climate change OFID sponsors and participates in AFED conference
Climate change, the vulnerability of Arab countries and the need for regional collaborative action were the key themes of the 2nd Annual Conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), which was held in Beirut, Lebanon, in November. OFID was a key sponsor of the event and its Director-General, Suleiman Al-Herbish, a keynote speaker.
FED’s second conference brought A together some 500 delegates, rep- resenting corporations, NGOs, academia, research institutions and the media from 22 countries. Ministers and representa- tives of government and international or- ganizations participated as observers. The main purpose of the meeting was to delib- erate the findings of a report issued by AFED on the Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries and to draft recom- mendations ahead of the December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Confer- ence in Copenhagen (COP 15). The Conference endorsed various recommendations, including the overall agreement that Arab countries are among the most vulnerable to the potential OFID Director-General, Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, delivered a keynote address on the negative impacts of climate change, theme “The way forward for a sustainable environment.” which were summarized as water stress,
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 43 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
AFED in brief
declining food production, rising sea In conclusion, the conference resolutions The Arab Forum for Environment and levels, loss of biodiversity and worsening highlighted the need to formulate a clear Development (AFED) is a non-profit human health. Arab position for the climate change ne- non-governmental organization, estab- The conference also highlighted the gotiations at COP 15. This was desirable in lished in Beirut in June 2006, at the con- lack of specialized databases and scien- order to reach an effective post-Kyoto clusion of a regional conference on Pub- tific expertise to guide mitigation or agreement that would ensure that green- lic Opinion and the Environment. AFED adaptation efforts that would better pre- house gas emissions do not reach critical has subsequently earned the status of in- pare Arab countries to address climate levels, support the international goal of ternational NGO, with the associated change vulnerabilities. limiting global temperature increase to immunities for its secretariat based in Arab governments were called upon 2°C, and assist developing countries, in- Beirut, and has been endorsed by the to endorse the 2007 Arab Ministerial cluding Arab countries, to adapt to the League of Arab States, the United Na- Declaration and the 2009 Statement on negative impacts of climate change. tions Environment Programme and the Climate Change, issued by the Council Widely evident in the outcome was Arab Gulf Cooperation Council. OFID’s of Arab Ministers Responsible for the En- the call on civil society, mainly NGOs, cooperation with AFED started in 2006 vironment. They were also encouraged academia and the private sector, to partic- and includes: support to the organization to make climate change a public policy ipate in the implementation of effective of AFED’s round table on “Public Opin- issue by creating strong national bodies measures. The conference stressed that a ion and the Environment”, held in Beirut that would be responsible for climate prerequisite for carrying out its recom- in June 2006, sponsorship of AFED’s 1st change assessments. mendations was securing political will at Annual Conference in Manama, Bahrain, The Conference also asked for the highest level of government in each in 2008, support to the production and greater efforts and resources to be de- Arab state. publication of the AFED report “Arab voted to monitoring and assessing cli- In his keynote speech entitled “The Environment: Future Challenges”, and mate change, and proposed the estab- way forward for a sustainable environ- sponsorship of the 2nd Annual Confer- lishment of a regional centre for the co- ment,” OFID Director-General Mr. Al-Her- ence, held in Beirut, Lebanon, Novem- ordination of research and scientific bish, touched on many of the issues that ber 19-20, 2009. knowledge. would later be debated at the Conference.
A comparison of percentage impacts of sea level rise on the GDP of Arab countries
16 1 m 2 m 3 m 4 m 5 m 14
12
10
8 pact (GDP) m 6 % I
4
2
0
an n en gypt isia wait m Ira eria E un UAE u Libya m g Qatar T K O Ye Al Morocco di Arabia u Sa Source: Dasgupta et al., 2007 Note: Countries not mentioned did not provide data
44 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Lebanese President and OFID Director-General exchange views
In the course of his visit to Lebanon to at- tend the AFED Conference, OFID Direc- tor-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, met with Lebanese President, General Michel Sleiman. The meeting was a reflec- tion of the high regard in which OFID is held in Lebanon and an opportunity for Mr. Al-Herbish to brief the President on OFID’s many operations in the country. General Sleiman acknowledged OFID’s continuous presence and conveyed his ap- preciation for the institution’s active role in Lebanon’s development: “OFID has, on various occasions, extended much-needed assistance, especially during the recent chal- lenging periods that we have experienced,” he noted. OFID and Lebanon have been partners for over three decades.
Mr. Al-Herbish separated the challenges electricity is as low as 150 kW-h in com- Challenges and Opportunities. Other partic- of environmental sustainability in the parison to 10,000 kW-h in industrialized ipants included Dr. Mohamed El-Ashry, Arab region into three core areas. First, nations. OFID, he noted, has allocated 20 former head of the Global Environment the Director-General focused on the char- percent of its overall commitments to en- Facility and member of the International acteristics unique to the region, specifi- ergy related projects and is playing an ac- Committee on Climate Change and Sus- cally water and desertification, which he tive role in responding to the global en- tainable Development; Ms. Carol Sanford, said required prioritization in investment ergy poverty initiative. Chief Executive Officer of Development commitments and added scientific ef- For the third issue, Mr. Al-Herbish Economics Group International; and forts. Regarding Arab contribution to talked about the wealth of solar energy in Dr. Marwan Iskandar, Economist Con- greenhouse gas emissions, he noted the the region and the lack of technology de- sultant. The three speakers addressed, relative weight of this issue, stating: “Ac- velopment and infrastructure which from their own perspectives, the chal- cording to the World Resource Institute, could enable it to occupy a bulk share in lenges and opportunities of transition to between 1900 – 2005 the Arab region the energy mix. He added that, “If OPEC a green economy to help fight climate contributed 2.3 percent of the world total countries are expected to meet the 86 per- change. cumulative CO2 emissions.” In contrast, cent of increased demand for oil from In a separate session during the con- the urgency of depleting water resources now until 2030 according to the Interna- ference, Mr. Faris Hasan, Director of Cor- and desertification calls for immediate ac- tional Energy Agency, then moving to- porate Planning and Economic Services tion. wards renewable energies requires grad- at OFID, presented a study conducted in The second issue the Director-Gen- ual repositioning that does not affect eco- partnership with the International Insti- eral addressed was the abundant fossil nomic conditions that burden the poor tute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) fuel resources that are utilized moderately populations as exemplified in the recent on Biofuels – Environmental Impact and in comparison with industrialized na- economic crisis.” Food Security Issues. The study was first tions. He further stressed the presence of During the Conference itself, the released at the 4th OPEC International energy poverty in some parts of the re- Director-General also chaired a session Seminar which took place in March 2009 gion, where the annual consumption of entitled: Towards Lower Carbon Economy: in Vienna, Austria.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 45 MEMBER STATES FOCUS
Kuwait hosts Arab Thought Foundation Annual Conference FIKR 8 gives voice to Arab youth
E stablished in 2001, the ATF was set Under the auspices of the Emir of Kuwait, up to promote constructive dia- logue between the business community, HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, academia and civil society, as a means of contributing to the future development the Arab Thought Foundation (ATF) held its of the Arab region. An integral part of ATF’s work is to foster information ex- 8th Annual FIKR Conference in early December. change between Arab leaders and their Convened around the theme “Integrating Arab non-Arab counterparts in the generation of progressive initiatives and ideas. Economies; Partners for Prosperity,” the gather- The annual FIKR Conference pro- vides an opportunity for various stake- ing tackled a host of topical issues pertinent to holders to come together to exchange views and propose practical solutions to the Arab region. the complex challenges associated with the region’s economic growth path. The gathering also helps raise awareness of the region’s thought leadership, its business models and its status on the global eco- nomic stage. December’s FIKR 8 brought together 800 delegates from 36 countries, repre- senting corporations, non-governmental organizations, academia, research insti- tutions, NGO’s and media entities. OFID, led by Director-General Suleiman J. Al- Herbish, participated actively in the vari- ous sessions and discussions, and held an interactive exhibit to disseminate infor- mation on its activities worldwide. Some of the pressing issues ad- dressed during the Conference included: economic integration and trade protec- tionism; prospects for trade and mone- tary union; food security and global agri- culture; Arab corporate social responsibil- ity and the role the private sector; and, Islamic finance and its significance as a
46 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 PHOTOS: ARAB THOUGHT FOUNDATION
HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (left), with HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal Al Saud, Governor of Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and President, Arab Thought Foundation. financial model within the global econ- we are heading. We have the highest covered live by Al Arabiya TV. The event omy. Throughout the Conference, there youth unemployment in the world and celebrated the best of young Arab talent was an over-arching focus on the region’s the lowest female participation”. and achievements. youth, with various panels dedicated to ATF estimates that more than two- With the aim of creating a platform focusing attention on the agendas most thirds of the population in the Middle for the different issues affecting Arab important to young people as the drivers East are aged between 25 and 32. Rising youth, ATF has created several programs of development in the Arab world. Youth unemployment rates across the region se- to tackle some of the most immediate engagement was encouraged through the verely affect this most vulnerable group. problems. An example of the many proj- sponsorship of young delegates from Under Ms. Salti’s leadership, Injaz has ex- ects ATF works on is the Youth without Bor- around the region. panded into 12 additional countries, ders: e-Arab Youth Network, an online gate- The importance of the youth role reaching some 500,000 young people. way for open and ongoing debate on cru- was summarized in one of the sessions by The dedication of Injaz was exemplified cial issues. ATF strongly believes that on- Ms. Soraya Salti, Senior Vice President of among other pioneering stories which re- line social networking platforms enable Injaz Al Arab, an independent, not-for- flect the importance of incorporating a young people to share ideas, engage to- profit organization that focuses on youth strong youth mandate within the private gether, and unite in bringing about posi- development under the patronage of and public sectors alike. tive change for their generation. Queen Rania of Jordan. Ms. Salti said: In this regard, a unique event at the “How we invest in our children reflects conclusion of the Conference was the on our society, where we are, and where 2009 Arab Creativity Awards, which was
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 47 PHOTO: NOHELY OLIVEROS
Venezuela’s Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra visits Austria OFID hosts reception by Sam Ifeagwu The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela sent young, distinguished represen- tatives to Vienna, Austria, October 2009, to promote relations and mutual interest in classical and brass music. The reference is to a rousing, successful visit by the Venezuelan Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra (VSBYO), which is part of El Sistema. The orchestra drew admiration and critical acclaim from across Austrian society.
48 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 MEMBER STATES FOCUS
Vienna Concert House The orchestra was hosted by the Vienna The 200-strong youth orchestra com- Concert House (Wiener Konzerthaus) prises young people, aged 12-26. El Sis- which paid the orchestra the highest tema as a whole employs over 15,000 mu- compliment: the Concert House would sic teachers, and includes training in in- seek to emulate and replicate the example strument-making, arts administration of El Sistema and create similar children’s and new media. Specific accomplish- and youth orchestras in Austria. The Aus- ments of El Sistema are regional children’s trian objective would be the same: to as- and youth orchestras and brass groups. In sist children from poorer backgrounds addition, national children’s and youth and draw the poorest away from street orchestras have been formed from the se- life. lection of top players from the regional At a packed press conference in Oc- orchestras. The VSBYO has entertained tober, the Concert House announced audiences across the world attracting the preparations to establish its own “Das Sys- attention of top names in the music busi- tem,” along the lines of the vision of José ness. In 2007, they undertook an epoch- Antonio Abreu (70, pianist, economist, making tour with sell-out concerts in educator, activist and politician), who Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco, created El Sistema in 1975. Boston and also Carnegie Hall in New The Venezuelan youth orchestra per- York, where the orchestra was guest-con- formed creditably to full houses all ducted by Sir Simon Rattle. More recently through their tour of Austria. This in- in December 2008, the orchestra had a cluded a number of performances with debut-tour of Asia, with concerts in Bei- Mr. Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez as jing, Seoul and Tokyo. conductor. The orchestra paid a courtesy VSBYO current conductor, Du- call on OFID, where Director-General damel, 28, in the meantime, one of the Suleiman J. Al-Herbish gave a reception in world’s most renowned conductors, was their honor. OFID saw the visit as oppor- born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He is tune and as coinciding with OFID’s con- also already an accomplished violinist. He tinuing drive to exhibit, whenever feasi- is co-terminously music director of the ble, the rich cultural heritage of its Mem- Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He ber Countries. practically began his music career with PHOTO: AGNES NEBEHAY
From left: OFID Director- General Al-Herbish welcomes Gustavo Dudamel, conductor of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra, and José Antonio Abreu, founder of the El Sistema movement, to OFID Headquarters.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 49 MEMBER STATES FOCUS
El Sistema. He rose in the ranks of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and the economics from the Universidad Católica orchestra and took up the violin at age Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. In Andres Bello. He served as a deputy in the 10. Dudamel attended the Jacinto Lara July, 2009, Dudamel was named winner Chamber of Deputies in the old Congress Conservatory, studying conducting. In of the prestigious City of Toronto Glenn of Venezuela. After his political career, he 1999, he was appointed music director of Gould Protégé Prize. worked as a professor of economics and the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar of El Sistema was founded by José Anto- law at Universidad Simón Bolívar and in Venezuela. nio Abreu, whose initial goal was simply his alma mater. He would return to poli- On the international stage, Du- to contribute to poverty alleviation in his tics briefly in 1983 to serve as Minister of damel debuted with various philhar- home country and give hope and perspec- Culture. monic orchestras and signed a recording tive to young children growing up in poor El Sistema is formally known as the contract with Deutsche Gramophone. In circumstances. El Sistema was his vehicle Foundation for the National Network of 2006, his additional guest-conducting ad hoc. Abreu imagined that via music, Youth and Children’s Orchestras of appearances included concerts with the the children would acquire education and Venezuela. Under the guidance of role- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, go on to live more constructive lives. Says model Abreu, El Sistema has participated the Dresden Staatskapelle; and the Royal Abreu: For the children we work with, in exchange and cooperation programs Liverpool Philharmonic. In September, music is practically the only way to a dig- with Spain, Latin American countries 2007, he conducted the Vienna Philhar- nified social destiny. Poverty means lone- and the United States. The group was an monic Orchestra for the first time at the liness, sadness, anonymity; an orchestra innovative youth education method in Lucerne Festival. means joy, motivation, teamwork and which music was the primary avenue for Yet other accomplishments of Du- the aspiration to succeed. social and intellectual improvement. damel have been work with the Gothen- Abreu was born in the western Abreu received the Venezuelan National burg Symphony at the BBC Proms; the or- Venezuelan city of Valera. He was trained Music Prize for his work with El Sistema chestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall; the as an economist. He holds a doctorate in in 1979. PHOTO: AGNES NEBEHAY
An ensemble from the Venezuela Youth Orchestra played to delighted guests at the reception held by OFID to honor the young musicians.
50 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 PARTNERSHIPS
OPEC Secretariat moves to new location Management and Staff express satisfaction
The Secretariat of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), hitherto based in Vienna’s Second District, he old building, alongside the T Danube canal, had housed the Sec- moved on November 30, 2009, to a new loca- retariat for more than three decades. The tion in Vienna’s central First District. In a report Secretariat had begun life in Geneva, Switzerland – OPEC’s initial, global head- for the OPEC Bulletin, author Keith Aylward- quarters – moving to Vienna in 1965. At first in Vienna, the Secretariat was housed Marchant, described the new headquarters in two small buildings and was later trans- ferred to Vienna’s landmark Ring road. building as “state-of-the-art.” He reported a The move from Geneva to Vienna move that went smoothly and efficiently, after was at the kind invitation of the Govern- ment of the Republic of Austria and the more than two years of planning. City of Vienna. The Secretariat took pos- session of its penultimate building in March, 1977. Management at the Secre- tariat has repeatedly spoken of Austria’s nesses and inter-governmental institu- Danube canal, which separates the first “far-sightedness” with regard to interna- tions as well as civil-society and non-gov- from the second district of the city. The tional relations and the country’s offer of ernmental organizations new Secretariat is located close to Vi- “a congenial working environment” as The new OPEC headquarters opened enna’s old Stock Exchange (die Boerse) and well as the sustained warmth and hospi- its portals for business on Monday, No- the glass-panelled Faculty of Law of the tality offered by the people. Today, Aus- vember 30. Secretariat staff remarked University of Vienna. tria is host to some 30 international or- that, geographically, the relocation was For the Secretariat’s 138-strong staff, ganizations, many of them United Na- simple. The distance between the two the total usable area of the new building is tions organs and specialized agencies. Yet buildings is less than a kilometer, requir- about 9,000 square metres, which allows others include varied international busi- ing crossing only a natural landmark, the for possible expansion in the future,
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 51 PARTNERSHIPS
as OPEC takes on new assignments to the Great Epic of Bharata and was donated meet impending challenges in the inter- by the Indonesian Government. The national oil market and related areas. work was originally unveiled by current Work began on the project in January, Secretary General, HE Abdalla Salem El- 2007, with the demolition of an old build- Badri, in his capacity at the time as OPEC ing, previously housing the Austrian As- President and Secretary of the GSP Libyan sociation of Trade Unions. The architects AJ People’s Committee of Energy. Staff were Atelier Hayde Architekten of Austria. A Members were delighted to see the art- consortium carried out the construction. work decorating their new building. Bene Consulting were responsible for the The move to a new building necessi- interior design and logistics of the move, tated an amended headquarters agree- ACP for the IT work and several other ment between Austria and OPEC. The companies for the audio-visual arrange- agreement was signed on September 30 ments. The lease agreement between by Secretary General El-Badri, and Aus- OPEC and the owners, Euro-PRISA, was trian Foreign Minister, HE Michael Spin- signed in September of the same year. delegger. Also present at the signature cer- For traditionalists and admirers of emony was HE Ambassador Ernst-Peter OPEC’s move to its new continuity, the Secretariat took with it, to Brezovszky, head of the Foreign Min- premises was a major logistical the new premises, a large artefact, which istry’s Department for International Con- had adorned the reception area of the old ferences and International Organizations. feat that involved two years of headquarters. Carved from solid blocks of OPEC formally took possession of the careful planning. In the end, teak, the five-metre-long, 2.5-metre-high building on October 30, 2009, and the of- it was accomplished without work of art took three Balinese craftsmen ficial opening ceremony will be when the three months to complete, before it was OPEC Conference next meets in Vienna, a hitch. flown to Austria. It depicts a scene from in March, 2010. PHOTOS: KEITH AYLWARD-MARCHANT AND DIANA LAVNICK
52 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 SPOTLIGHT PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/PAULA COBLEIGH Save the fish: food for thought?
While climate change has conquered global headlines for the past decade, the sorry state of the world’s fish stocks has barely penetrated the public consciousness. The tide, however, is about to turn: “Imagine a World without Fish,” suggests a new movie. “Aquacalypse!” cries a biologist. As stakeholders in Europe get set for a massive overhaul of the fisheries sector, the Quarterly looks at the need for reform and explores what insights can be shared with marine resource managers in the Red Sea region.
by Verena Ringler
“The End of the Line – Imagine a World Murray and script writer Charles Clover the magazine Nature, suggested that our without Fish,” is the title of a new docu- are not the only whistleblowers about oceans had already lost more than 90 per- mentary movie about the devastating ef- global overfishing. cent of their predatory fish stocks – cod, fects of overfishing and its direct connec- Fisheries biologist Daniel Pauly tuna and salmon, for example. tion to the tuna roll on our dinner table. joined the chorus with his 2009 tale Given that fish move across national The movie chronicles man emptying the Aquacalypse Now in The New Republic mag- borders and that the actions of one fish- ocean like there is no tomorrow. It asserts azine, stating: “It is not just the future of ing fleet affect the opportunities of others, “peak fish”* happened in 1989. What has the fishing industry that is at stake, but fish should have been attracting global, followed since has resulted in plunging also the continued health of the world’s holistic attention since fleets were first in- numbers of fish and a hike in costs. Direc- largest ecosystem.” A 2006 forecast by 14 dustrialized in the 1950s. However, fish tor Rupert Murray recounts: “Many places academics in the journal Science predicted have received mostly national and indus- have seen fish populations crash. We that by 2048, commercial fish stocks try attention. As a result, a global crisis tried to tell one story, about one problem, would be generating 10 percent or less of has long been unfolding, as governments affecting one global ocean. We found it their peak catches. Ransom Myers and and fisheries quibble over quotas, in- was, tragically, the same for everyone.” Boris Worm, authors of a 2003 article in crease subsidies, and invest in GPS
*A peak in the biomass, or weight, of fish caught from the world’s oceans.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 53 PHOTO: MAREMA CENTRE, NORWEGIAN COLLEGE OF FISHERY SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY TROMSØ
Without a more responsible and onboard computerized trackers. reform its common fisheries policy in approach to fishing, abun- There is no global regime for controlling 2012. Here, there is not only an environ- what may be fished where, when and how. mental problem due to overfishing, but dant displays of seafood, In the 1990s, scientific studies first the industry is also expensive and ineffi- like this one at a market in demonstrated the global fish depletion. cient. In a number of EU member states, Governments watched in awe when taxpayers pay more to support their fish- Norway, may soon be a Canada closed the Grand Banks in 1992. eries than they get back in terms of prod- thing of the past. By then, two structural rifts in the sector uct value. The EU, with the world’s third- had already deepened: first, marine biolo- largest fleet, still has to import 70 percent gists would tend to focus on the oceanic of the continent’s fish and aquaculture ecosystem and exchanged little informa- needs. tion with fisheries biologists, who in turn The EU regime is the Common Fish- were more concerned about the ocean’s eries Policy from 1983, which has seen profits and often worked for governments scathing assessments from the EU Court or the industry. Second, the public had of Auditors and the British House of not been properly alerted to the threat Lords. Even the European Commission facing their tuna roll or fish and chips. (EC) – the very body proposing and exe- Exploitation of fish stocks has continued, cuting EU legislation – rang the alarm although many other items on our menus bells in a Green Paper in April 2009. have seen a move to eco-friendly, fair- “Overfished stocks and poor economic trade products. performance in the fishing industry has The United States was the first to see created a momentum for further deterio- its fish crisis unfold. Now, this struggle is ration, a vicious circle...(This) leads to on in the European Union which aims to even stronger pressures from the industry
54 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 SPOTLIGHT
to let short-term concerns compromise What would Ocean 2012 members share ative process enunciated in the code of the long-term sustainability of fisheries with the seven Red Sea sharing countries conduct for responsible fishing, then fish- even further. It has proven difficult for who have joined up for a Marine Re- eries management does not exist to any governments to resist this pressure,” reads sources Management Program (see box)? significant extent in countries of the Red the EC’s Green Paper. Facing overfished Just three years ago, analysts looking at Sea basin.” Increasing coastal popula- stocks of 80 percent in the EU, the EC that region concluded dryly: “If fisheries tions, rapid development and human ex- concludes that “industry incentives need management means the cyclical and iter- ploitation threaten the sustainability to be turned around…to a situation where fishermen would be made responsible and accountable for the sustainable use Marine resources management in the Red Sea of a public resource.” Over the past months, European stakeholders have started waking from their slumber. Not only have Greenpeace and the WWF been calling for reforms. Also, and more remarkably, a new choir of voices has emerged. Ocean 2012, an al- liance formed in 2009, mobilizes and co- ordinates a large cohort of stakeholders, among them organizations representing environmental, development and con- sumer interests as well as divers, aquari- ums and scientists. Ocean 2012 was initi- ated by the Pew Environment Group in Brussels, which considered a move to broader consultations to be long overdue. “Fisheries reforms suffer from a vested in- terest problem. So we expanded the voices of interest,” says Markus Knigge, Policy and Research Director of Pew’s Eu- For the past three years, an important fisheries management project has been un- ropean Marine Program. derway in the Red Sea, a unique waterway shared by seven countries – Djibouti, Without much tinkering, Ocean Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Led jointly by the Food 2012 plugs itself right into the EU fisheries and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International reform process, summarizing stakeholder Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with co-financing from OFID and the demands on four points: First, catch limits Arab Fund for Economic and Social development, this multi-partner initiative has should be set by scientists and not by politicians. Second, fishing capacity must two main aims – firstly, to promote the sustainable management of the Sea’s be brought in line with available fishing resources; and secondly, to protect the interests of some 850,000 people in the resources. Third, access to fish resources region who are dependent on the artisanal fisheries sector. should be based on environmental and so- The hub of the project is a regional forum – involving all countries and stake- cial criteria. And fourth, subsidies and holders – which is working to enhance national institutional capacities to support other financial instruments awarded in a discretionary manner by EU member the development of a common policy framework. Underpinning the framework states should target facilitating the transi- is a comprehensive database on actual and potential Red Sea resources to guide tion towards environmentally and socially how all stakeholders operate in future. sustainable fisheries. In other words – a According to IFAD, one of the greatest challenges of the project has been to principle-centered approach to fishing. balance the interests of the industrial fisheries with those of the artisanal fisher While Ocean 2012 faces three hard- working years ahead, this new alliance al- folk. This has meant organizing and empowering the latter to better articulate ready provides a first collection of best their needs, and harnessing their expert knowledge of the local situation for the practice and lobbying lessons from re- benefit of all concerned. gional, sustainable fisheries management.
OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 55 SPOTLIGHT
Further Reading Biologist and Aquacalypse author Daniel Pauly also suggests a new – albeit contro- versial – approach to fishing rights. He The books, “Cod”, by Mark Kurlansky (1998), “The Unnatural History of the Sea” by says fishermen should do it like ranchers, Callum Roberts (2008), and “The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World who, in many countries, pay for the priv- and What We Eat” by Charles Clover (2008; DVD 2010) introduce lovers of tuna roll and ilege to graze their cattle on federal lands. cod to the consequences of our eating habits. If governments auctioned off quotas with The EU policy is with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime access privileges to fisheries, the highest Affairs and Fisheries, www.ec.europa.eu. The coalition for transforming European bidder would secure the right to a certain fisheries is Ocean 2012, www.ocean2012.eu. The site www.fishsubsidy.org details percentage of the catch quota. Society as subsidy flows to countries and vessels. Globally, stakeholders might consult the Marine a whole would benefit from providing pri- Stewardship Council www.msc.org. Fishworkers and their organizations, especially vate access to a public resource. artisanal and small-scale fisheries in developing countries, can download the guide, While environmental economists race over their calculators and graphs to Understanding the Work in Fishing Convention 2007, in many languages, including Arabic, trigger a sea change in regional manage- at www.icsf.net. ment bodies, consumers have their own tool to save the fish literally on their plate. “Everyone can demand sustainable seafood,” proposes Rupert Murray, direc- and special conservation value of the advice comes from Magnus Eckeskog, a tor of The End of the Line. He says, “If you sea. Yet, marine resources there are policy officer with the Fisheries Secre- consider how simple and universally among the globe’s most precious, and the tariat in Sweden, another Ocean 2012 agreed the solutions are … Healthy oceans joint management of fisheries in the re- member. Eckeskog suggests fisheries man- are a win, win, win situation.” gion is vital for people, sea and fish alike. agers should “include a wide range of in- If the alert signals start travelling, Artisanal fisheries alone are estimated to terest groups. The public should have at turning the tide seems possible. At a re- support one million jobs in the seven Red least as much – or perhaps even more – ception in July 2009 for instance, Prince Sea sharing countries Djibouti, Egypt, Er- say than the industry, when discussing Charles Mountbatten-Windsor publicly itrea, Jordan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the use of a public resource.” demanded more awareness-raising among Yemen. Eckeskog’s magic word for success- consumers. The crowd the Prince ad- Sure enough, looking at Europe ver- ful fisheries management is “long-ter- dressed were fishing industry leaders and sus the Red Sea, “you need to take the spe- mism.” He dreams of an end to discus- caterers, and the occasion was the 10-year cial oceanographic conditions of the Red sions on annual quotas and outtake, and anniversary of the Marine Stewardship Sea into account. This is a tropical zone, a move to long term-management based Council (MSC). with particular cultural traditions and on the precautionary and ecosystem ap- The MSC promotes sustainable fish- geopolitics,” cautions Brian O’Riordan proach. Also, he suggests reversing the ing via the certification of products. The from the ICSF, an Ocean 2012 member burden of proof so that government bod- dark-blue MSC label on a frozen fish car- and fishworkers’ collective that con- ies draw up the general rules, while the ton means the MSC can trace the product tributed to the FAO Code of Conduct for fishermen make an Environmental Im- back to the fishery and often the very boat Responsible Fisheries. pact Assessment (EIA), showing that their that caught the fish. Two months after Yet some insights are generally ap- fishery is not harmful to the environment Prince Charles’s address to the MSC, the plicable, suggests Knigge of the Pew Envi- and conducted in a responsible manner. restaurant group Fifteen, backed by British ronment Group. His magic word for re- Based on the EIA, they would receive or celebrity-chef Jamie Oliver, said these gional management is “accountability.” buy their fishing rights. Hence, the re- restaurants would now commit to using He says: “If you set rules for people, you sponsibility would be with the fishermen, MSC-labeled fish on their menu. Con- better get them to the table. You want to just like it is with factories or sewage sumers might start thinking: what is good establish clear objectives, against which plants in pollution issues. Eckeskog: “Per- for Jamie Oliver, might certainly be good practitioners are then measured.” Similar haps that is the way to go in the Red Sea.” for me and my children.
56 OFID QUARTERLY JANUARY 2010 www.ofid.org
Securing a better future for the world’s poor
Sustainable development is all about results that last. Results that continue making a difference from one generation to the next. It’s about healthy, well-educated populations, clean water and food security, and an end to isolation.
For over 30 years, OFID has been at the forefront of the fight against poverty. Working hand-in-hand with needy communities, we’ve helped build schools, health centers and roads. We’ve provided energy and water supplies. And we’ve helped our partner countries develop vibrant private enterprise sectors.
Their future is our inspiration.
OFID A Dynamic Partner Parkring 8, A-1010 Vienna, Austria P.O. Box 995, A-1011 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+43-1) 515 64-0 Fax: (+43-1) 513 92-38 www.ofid.org