Global Cooperation April 2007

In this issue
Black Sea and Good GovernanceInternational Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres
On Privatisation
Development aid falls 5.1% in OECD Countries in 2006
New websites, publications and research
Coming events
Black Sea and Good Governance
Hrachya Amiryan, Black Sea NGO Network Secretary and Pobeda Loukanova, Network
Lobbying Group member participated in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)
Institutional Renewal and Good Governance Working Group meeting held in March,2007 in Istanbul.
The aim of the NGO participation was to develop cooperation between BSEC and theNGO Network. Ms Loukanova made a presentation suggesting possible fields ofcooperation that are of bilateral importance. The suggestions included seminars andtraining; organisation of joint events;
capacity development in publicadministration; mobility of civil
servants in BSEC member states;
exchange of experience and goodpractice in state administration inmember states; organisation andimplementation of research concerning
corruption and poor governance inmember states; dissemination of
helpful information received frommember states through the NGO
Network website.
Ms Loukanova advocated a joint effort in improving relations between states and civilsociety and in particular proposed the implementation of social dialogue systems; theintroduction of cooperation with the private sector of economy, as well as withorganisations of civil society; the implementation of systems for the qualitative
improvement of the public service delivery procedures.

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In relation to particular problems Ms Loukanova suggested the development of service
provision contracting systems in those countries where NGOs have an essential role andthe exchange of experience on effective cooperation between central authorities, local
authorities and the NGOs.
After these suggestions by Ms Loukanova the chairman of the session Saša Dinić(Serbia) led discussion on the ways in which cooperation could become a reality. The cochair of the session Panagiotis Ntais (Greece) suggested organising a joint event tooutline the importance of issues introduced in the NGO suggestions. BSEC PermanentInternational Secretariat representative suggested the cooperation could start withcooperation on a particular project. She mentioned that BSEC is open to cooperation andthe potential will be increased if two or three member states join the programmessuggested by the Network.
In response to the question: How can cooperation become a reality, Network Secretary
Mr Amiryan suggested implementing joint research in some member states. He proposed
the subject of research could be the assessment of NGOs providing social services andthe delegation of service provision to NGOs. He proposed a joint working group todevelop the research and find likely financial sources from EU institutions. The co-chair
Mr. Panagiotis Ntais (Greece) mentioned that she sees the delegation of social service
provision to NGOs as an important subject. If Greece continues to remain the country
coordinator of Working Group activities then special attention will be devoted to thatissue at the next working group next meeting.
The complete text of Ms Loukanova’s presentation can be found on the Network website:
http://www.bsngon.com/activities/cooperation.php. The Black Sea NGO Network is
supported by ICSW. Ms Pobeda Loukanova represents Club Economica 2000 which is
the Network focal organisation in Bulgaria. The Network Secretary, Hrachya Amiryan,
works with Mission Armenia.
International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres
Our colleague organisation International Federation of Settlements and NeighbourhoodCentres (IFS) has just launched a new newsletter. The first edition reports that IFS is in
the midst of a strategic planning process. The next IFS gathering is to be held in Oradea,Romania, 10th to 13th October 2007. Hosted by the Women's Organisation Bihor in
Oradea and other IFS partners in Romania, the seminar's theme is: Living in MulticulturalEurope. The Seminar will include presentations and workshops from a variety of IFS
European members. If you wish to receive registration and other information about thisprogram, please contact Sharon Haas at: haass@puc-mn.org. If you would like to receive
the IFS email newsletter please contact Sharon. The website address for IFS is:
http://www.ifsnetwork.org/.
MDG Targets The IPC has released a new issue of their ‘One Pagers:
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager33.pdf.
MDG Targets: Misunderstood or Misconceived? by Hamid Tabatabai. This One Pager
takes issue with Jan Vandemoortele’s One Pager # 28:
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager28.pdf

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On Privatisation - International Poverty Centre UNDP
Privatising Basic Utilities in Africa: a Rejoinder
In this One Pager John Nellis argues that the authors of the IPC Policy Research Brief on
Privatising Basic Utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa: The MDG Impact overestimate theease of improving performance in state-owned firms and underestimate the amount ofinvestment capital required for run-down African water and electricity utilities. He
highlights the importance of not eschewing private investment but rather finding
mechanisms to make it more politically acceptable, socially responsible and mutually
beneficial. Online at: http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager31.pdf.
Debating the Provision of Basic Utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Response to Nellis
In this One Pager Kate Bayliss and Ben Fine respond to John Nellis on the privatisationof basic utilities in sub-Saharan Africa. They argue that the privatisation experiment has
worsened the provision of basic utilities by eroding state capacity or preventing it frombeing expanded. They maintain that privatisation advocates have over-estimated thecapacity of the private sector. They point out that they are not precluding the participationof private capital, but situating it within the economic and social functioning of a country
as a whole and trying seriously to weigh alternative forms of public and private financingof the provision of utilities. Online at:
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager32.pdf.
Editor’s Comment
As mentioned in previous issues of Global Cooperation there has been a strong interestby the World Bank and governments in a ‘big systems’ approach, meaning big dams andbig power stations. There is an urban bias to these utilities. Big projects lead inevitably tobureaucratisation no matter if they are corporations or publicly owned. Corruption creeps
in. There can be more modest solutions to water supply including small dams and smallbores. Similarly electricity has some modest technologies. For example in the Pacificthere are ‘run of the river’ hydro generators which generate enough for a village or two,with minimum grid interconnectivity. Solar power has its uses in desert regions,generating enough power during the day to keep workshops and refrigerators operating,with small night time battery supplies for lights. When water and electricity are provided
locally, problems such as transmission losses are minimized.
Analysing and Achieving Pro-Poor Growth
The recent issue of IPC’s journal: Poverty in Focus concentrates, not so much on thedefinition of pro-poor growth, as the analysis of it and its policy implications and results.
The authors spell out and apply different definitions and measures in discussing various
policy-related aspects of pro-poor growth. Available online at:
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCPoverty_in_Focus010.pdf
Social Cohesion
The Social Cohesion Development Division of the Council of Europe has released the18th volume in the series: Trends in social cohesion. The new volume is entitled:Achieving social cohesion in a multicultural Europe: Concepts, situations anddevelopments. Enquiries to: gilda.farrell@coe.int.

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Development aid falls 5.1% in OECD Countries in 2006
Official development assistance (ODA) from members of the Development AssistanceCommittee has fallen by 5.1% to USD103.9 billion. In real terms this is the first fall inODA since 1997. The actual level is the highest recorded except for 2005. ODA was highin 2005 due to the Paris Club debt relief operations (Nigeria and Iraq mainly). Thisboosted ODA to the highest level in 2005. In 2006 debt relief grants still represented a
substantial proportion of ODA. ODA fell by 1.8% if the debt relief of USD 3 billion for
Iraq and 11 billion for Nigeria is excluded. Preliminary data show that net ODA to Sub
Saharan Africa rose by 23% in real terms but once debt relief for Nigeria is excluded therise is only 2%.
The only countries to reach or exceed the UN target of 0.7% of GNI were Sweden,Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark. In 2006 the net ODA by the USA
was USD 22.7 billion which is a fall of 20% in real terms and takes the USA ODA ratio
to 0.17%. The fall was largely due to the Iraq debt relief in 2005.
Japan net ODA was USD11.6 billion representing 0.25% of GNI. This was a fall in realterms of 9.6%. But there were high expenditures in 2005 including relief after thetsunami and debt relief for Iraq. Japan’s ODA has been trending downwards since 2000
except for 2005. For the full OECD report including tables visit:
http://www.oecd.org/document/17/0,2340,en_2649_33721_38341265_1_1_1_1,00.html.
New Website for ICSW Japan
http://www.icsw-japan.or.jp. The site is currently only in Japanese but an English version
will be available within a couple of months.
Coming events
ICSW Europe: International Expert Seminar on social investment and social protection
as productive factors: The role of decent work and social integration for an economically
successful and socially cohesive society, Madrid (Spain), 25th to 27th May 2007. Hosted
by the Comité Espagñol para el Bienestar Social (CEBS): secretaria@cebs-es.org
http://www.cebs-es.org/cebs/default.asp.
ICSW Europe: European Region conference: Equal opportunities for individuals,
groups and nations 14th to 16th June 2007, Vilnius University (Universiteto Street N 9/1,Vilnius, Lithuania):
http://www.fsf.vu.lt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=853&Itemid=1273.
Editor of Global Cooperation: Denys Correll
Email icsw@icsw.org
Website: www.icsw.org
International Council on Social Welfare
C/O MOVISIE Netherlands Centre for Social Development
P.O. Box 19129 DC Utrecht
The Netherlands
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