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The champion's orphans: Honduras says goodbye to Sweden
09/10/2009 By Margarita Puerto Gómez, Nils-Sjard Schulz
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| Tegucigalpa’s Stockholm bridge, built with Swedish funds after Hurricane Mitch. |
Swedish cooperation’s decision to exit Honduras leaves behind a highly institutionally fragile partner country assisted by a reduced donor community. This case study, which provides an in-depth analysis of exit practices, is the first in a series of studies within a broad research project on international division of labour. It systematises the perspectives of national actors, gathered through interviews and a workshop held in Tegucigalpa in February 2009. Although carried out before the June 2009 coup, this study offers some highly relevant guidelines which help to understand the relationship between the quality of aid and the downfall of institutional democracy.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has made great efforts to ensure good practices, particularly through capacity building during the phase-out process. However, significant challenges were identified in adapting communication to Honduras’ tense political context, and in compensating for Sweden’s departure with funding from other donors, particularly in areas relevant to the country’s development.
At a global level, the case of Honduras demonstrates clashes in donor complementarity. Sweden’s exit signifies the departure of the only Nordic+ donor, which for several years was a true champion with regard to the aid effectiveness agenda and support for democratic governance. Honduras is now on the way to becoming an ‘aid orphan’, left with a donor community that is increasingly reluctant to invest seriously in partnership and national capacity-building, both of which are necessary given the country’s profound institutional crisis.
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The division of labour and the aid efficiency agendaTo read or listen to the comments of our experts in the media about this and other topics, please visit our Press section.
Keywords
Conflict Development cooperation European Union Governance Honduras Latin America & Caribbean SwedenRelated publications
- Division of labour among European donors: allotting the pie or committing to effectiveness?
- International division of labour: challenging partnership
Bio author: Margarita Puerto Gómez
Margarita Puerto Gómez is international consultant in development cooperation with broad experiences in aid effectiveness, governance and women's rights.
Bio author: Nils-Sjard Schulz
Global governance of aid. Aid policy and effectiveness. Donor harmonisation. International division of labour. South-South cooperation.
