Harmonisation & democratisation / Other publications
Accra, the day after
23/10/2008 By Sarah-Lea John de Sousa, Stefan Meyer, Nils-Sjard Schulz
Towards a better world with the Accra Agenda for Action? In the days after the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, three FRIDE researchers have reflected in a radio discussion on the outcomes and implications of the agreement that had been reached.
N. Schulz
Stefan Meyer focuses on historical precedents and the previous development fashions that are both synthesised and overcome in the new consensus on aid. Nils-Sjard Schulz emphasises the implications for a better aid practice and highlights the potential shift in power from Northern domination towards a more equal relation between donors and recipients. Sarah-Lea John de Souza describes the role of new Southern actors in development cooperation, particularly focusing on Brazil, both as tough negotiator in Accra and practitioner of a new South-South collaboration.
A number of themes of the global governance of aid are being touched upon. Among them, the question of the adequate platform for negotiating the aid regimen, today dominated by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), whose position could be complemented by the UN Development Cooperation Forum (DCF). Negotation dynamics were also relevant in Accra, with Southern countries having prepared common positions in a contact group and the North being split into more progressive donors and those who want to maintain control over funds.
Furthermore, the discussants debate the relevance of aid effectiveness in the Latin-American continent and the need for an adaptation of the Paris Declaration to its context. A particular role is mentioned for Secretaría General Iberoamericana (SEGIB) in coordinating the South-South and triangular development cooperation.
Listen the interview:
Keywords
Development cooperation HarmonizationRelated publications
- Building the global governance of aid
- From Beijing to Paris: the relevance of gender equality for aid effectiveness
- Nicaragua: a rude awakening for the Paris Declaration
- Ownership with adjectives
- Perspectives for the global governance of aid
- The Nicaragua challenge: upholding the Paris agenda in an agitated setting
Bio author: Sarah-Lea John de Sousa
MA in Regional Sciences of Latin America (RWL) from the University of Cologne and currently studying her PhD in International Relations at the University Complutense of Madrid. Sarah-Lea John de Sousa has been development project manager at the agency Chuconsultig Germany.
Bio author: Stefan Meyer
Stefan Meyer is a Political Scientist (FU Berlin) and holds a Masters degree of the IDS Brighton, U.K. He worked as a consultant on aid instruments and in conflict impact assessment for a number of NGOs and for the German Development Cooperation (GTZ and KfW).
Bio author: Nils-Sjard Schulz
Masters Degree in Social Sciences at the Humboldt University Berlin and specialization in International Relations at the Complutense University Madrid. Complementing his research on aid effectiveness, he works as an independent consultant. Recently, he collaborated with the Development Assistance Committee in the evaluation of the Paris Declaration (thematic study on aid effectiveness and development effectiveness), the 2008 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration and the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.
