Research Monitor

Human rights, the MDG income poverty Target, and Economic Growh

2010/07 - International Development (UEA), Report, Author(s): Edward Anderson and Andy McKay

In recent years, a large number of governments in developing countries have developed strategies for achieving the MDGs. Generally, this has involved two main steps. The first is to adapt the global MDG targets and indicators to the national context; the second is to formulate a strategy for achieving them. From a human rights perspective, the key question is whether the targets, indicators, and strategies developed by national governments are consistent with the broader human rights framework.

This background paper aims to shed light on this key question in two main ways. The first is to ask whether the targets and indicators developed by national governments in relation to income poverty are consistent with the human rights framework. Income poverty is one important aspect of MDG 1, the goal to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The second is to ask whether the policies in national MDG strategies designed to promote economic growth are consistent with the human rights framework. Such policies are often centre-stage in MDG strategies, reflecting the widespread consensus that economic growth is essential, if not always sufficient, for achieving the MDGs.

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Promises, Promises: A Briefing Paper for the Kabul Conference on Afghanistan

2010/07 - Oxfam GB, Briefing Paper, Author: Ashley Jackson

The Kabul Conference marks the ninth international conference on Afghanistan in nearly as many years. Political will is deteriorating, insecurity is spreading and confidence in the future of Afghanistan is fading. But while many seem to feel that all has been lost, it is important to remember that there have been concrete improvements in the lives of many Afghans. Unfortunately, they have fallen far short of expectations.
While all eyes will be on Afghanistan on July 20, it is what happens after the conferences ends that matters most. This paper reviews the outcomes of previous international conferences on Afghanistan – the promises made and broken, the rhetoric and reality – and sets out what should be done now to improve life for ordinary Afghans.

Key recommendations:

ISAF and donors should demilitarize aid, as quickly and as completely as possible.
Donors must urgently increase funding and support for independent humanitarian action.
Donors must set and stick to stronger benchmarks on development aid to all actors, help the Afghan government improve systems of accountability and strengthen the ability of civil society, particularly the media, to help hold donors and the government responsible.
Mechanisms must be established to create a genuinely participatory political process, at all levels, and ensure that the voices of ordinary Afghans are heard.

The situation is increasingly difficult. But the way forward is not to take short cuts, pursue quick fixes or bypass obstacles. It is to take fundamental steps to directly address the root causes of conflict.
Despite the formidable challenges, doing what is right for Afghans – which is ultimately in the best interests of those in donor countries – requires a long-term commitment and the political will to address the mistakes of the past.

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Diasporas and Peace: A Comparative Assessment of Somali and Ethiopian communities in Europe

2010/07 - Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) brief 42, Author: Andrea Warnecke

In recent years, following the political upheavals in Ethiopia, Somalia and what later became Eritrea, large-scale migration from the Horn of Africa has to a significant extent been conflict-induced. Conflict-generated migration is usually large, rapid and includes entire extended families or communities. It is assumed that these migrant communities tend to be predominantly characterised by the source of their migration or flight which subsequently continues to shape the communities’ identities in their new residence country and serves as a focal point for community mobilisation.

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Santé et performance au Rwanda; Expérience et leçons au niveau opérationnel dans la mise en oeuvre de l’approche PBF

2010/07 - Royal Tropical Institute (KIT); Authors: Anee Coolen et al.

Le « performance based financing » (ou PBF – Financement basé sur la performance) dans le secteur de la santé a pris de l’ampleur ces dernières années. L’approche PBF est censée contribuer à l’amélioration de la performance des services de santé à travers un système de financement des extrants. Le Rwanda est l’un des premiers pays à avoir exploré l’approche PBF à travers des programmes pilotes et le premier à l’avoir mis à l’échelle nationale. En Afrique, le PBF s’impose de plus en plus dans les agendas internationaux et nationaux ; de fait, des ministères, des ONG et des bailleurs ainsi que des structures locales sont en train de développer l’approche et de la mettre en oeuvre. L’expérience du Rwanda a été documentée et publiée par plusieurs acteurs ; pourtant, le point de vue des ONG et du terrain n’a pas encore été partagé.

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Exploring the Security-Development Nexus

2010/07 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Report, Author: Henni Alava

This Report, commissioned by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland and undertaken by an independent research team organized by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Helsinki, charts out the possibilities for and the challenges posed by outside interventions in conflict and post-conflict situations in the global South. The Report combines theoretical reflection on the ‘security-development nexus’ and on the role of development aid in conflict, with case studies on conflict-affected areas in Nepal and in Northern Uganda and its borderlands with South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The research team welcomes the tendency of Finland and other donors to pay increased attention to what are called fragile situations, and recommends that they continue to work more intensely in conflict and post-conflict situations, whether these occur in the traditional long-term partner countries or in regions where their previous involvement as donors has been less systematic. The Report, however, argues that these fragile situations are immensely complex and difficult to manage, and the international discourse and guidelines concerning such situations still suffer from many gaps and deficiencies. Thorough knowledge of local conditions is a must in any intervention.

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