Aid Effectiveness

Some 21 civil society organizations staged a protest rally on Tuesday to denounce the role of the development partners and their allied ‘elite class’ and bureaucrats in development process, saying they were responsible for misusing foreign aid.

They [the development partners in Bangladesh, the ‘elite class’ and the bureaucrats] have made the country increasingly indebted since liberation, the protesters from rights based organizations told the rally.

Bangladesh government on Monday began a two-day dialogue in Dhaka with multilateral lenders and donor countries seeking approval of the poverty reduction strategy, a lender-driven development document.

Parallel to the ongoing BDF meeting, the rights organizations — Arpan, AMKS, Eso, Bangladesh Krishak Federation, CSRL, EquityBD, Kishani Sohva, Lead Trust, On line knowledge centre, Protikrit, Karmajibi Nari, La via campesina, MFTD, Prantik, Purbasha, RCSV, Swadhin Bangla Garments Sramik Federation, Solidarity Workshop, Sirajganj Flood Forum, Uddipan, Voice, and World Development Movement, UK—organised the rally in front of National Press Club in the city.

The organizers demanded sovereign, democratic and responsible financing to ensure that the benefits of aid and loans reach the poor through a transparent and accountable manner.

Speakers at a press conference yesterday said loans and grants of the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international financial institutions are destructive for Bangladesh as the donor agencies take away more kickbacks than what they have provided as aid or loans.

Only 25 percent of the foreign aid and loans provided to the country go to the target group while the rest of them are attained for the auxiliary and support services, they added.

The speakers said this at the press conference organised by VOICE, a rights-based research group, and Aid Accountability Group, a civil society alliance, at the National Press Club in the city.

They called on the government to reject destructive aid and formulate an independent economic policy instead of PRSP and to make all loan agreements public ensuring transparency and accountability.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=126405

VOICE, a rights research organisation, on Sunday called upon the government to reject ‘destructive foreign aid’ that has crippled national policymaking by robbing it of ‘sovereignty and independence’.
The rights leaders, at a press conference ahead of the meeting of the Bangladesh Development Forum, insisted that the government should announce when it will stop receiving conditional external assistance and begin to prepare the national budget with domestic resources only.
They added that only 25 per cent of foreign aid and loans reached the target group while the rest went to auxiliary and support services including the fees of foreign consultants.
‘The people of Bangladesh are becoming more and more indebted due to the loans given by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and thus have become more vulnerable to foreign manipulation,’ Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, told reporters at the National Press Club.
He pointed out that the lender-driven Poverty Reduction Strategy had failed to reduce poverty — rather the percentage of the poor has increased in recent years.

Conditions for development loans must be made public

BDF won’t accommodate people’s voices or representatives: VOICE

Rights group VOICE, complaining that people’s voices will not be heard nor their representatives accommodated in the upcoming dialogue between the government and global lenders, has demanded that that conditions imposed for, and the expenditure pattern of, foreign aid-funded development projects must be made public.

Referring to the meeting of the Bangladesh Development Forum scheduled to be held in Dhaka on February 15-16, VOICE has called for a debate on the relevance of external loans, which should involve politicians, professional groups, businesspeople, civil society dignitaries, and representatives of local government and community organisations.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the BDF meeting which will be attended by representatives of the Local Consultative Group, a forum of lending agencies and donor countries, and those of the newly emerging economic superpowers.
‘People from all strata of life do not have any access to the Forum although it demands greater participation of stakeholders,’ Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, noted in a position paper titled ‘Destructive Aid and Bangladesh Development forum 2010’.

Subject : PRESS CONFERENCE

Title :Reclaim People's Power for National Development, Reject Destructive Foreign Aid

Date : 14 February 2010
Time : 10.30 morning
Venue : VIP Lounge, National Press Club, Dhaka

Speakers :

Organized by:

Aid Acountability Group
VOICE

Speakers in a discussion meeting yesterday stressed the need for ensuring transparency among NGOs to make effective use of the foreign aid which they felt was necessary for equity based development.
They also suggested for the disclosure of NGOs activities including amount of aids they received and the mode of expenditures.
They were addressing the discussion 'Role of the Civil Society on Aid Effectiveness' jointly organised by Voice (Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment) and Aid Accountability Group at National Press Club in the city.
Addressing the discussion, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh Dr. Iftekharuzzaman told that not only government but activities of NGOs should be transparent. The work and expenditure of NGO bosses should also be brought under inspection.
He said NGOs should ensure their own commitment to reduce poverty and ensure equality and human rights. He stressed on working collectively carrying forward the agenda of aid effectiveness and build up a national movement.
In his address, European Union (EU) ambassador in Dhaka Dr Stefan Frowein has urged the civil society members to find a way to work together to elaborate common positions and lobby effectively to contribute in the development and progress.

European Union (EU) ambassador in Dhaka Dr Stefan Frowein has urged the civil society members to find a way to work together to elaborate common positions and lobby effectively to contribute to development and progress to make aid more effective, reports UNB.
"This is especially true in Bangladesh… where civil society plays a crucial role as partner of the government improving the living conditions of thousands and thousands of people," he said while addressing a discussion at the National Press Club (Tuesday).
Voice (Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment) and Aid Accountability Group jointly organized the discussion titled ''Role of the Civil Society on Aid Effectiveness''.

Chaired by Voice executive director Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, the discussion was addressed, among others, by deputy Danish Charge de Affairs Jan Moller Hansen, executive director of the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) Dr Iftekharuzzman and coordinator of Nijera Kori Khusi Kabir.
DFID advisor for Aid Effectiveness Bo Sundstrom presented at the session a keynote paper on ''How to work more effectively together to deliver real development outcome''.

The European Union ambassador in Dhaka, Stefan Frowein, has urged the civil society members to find a way to work together to elaborate common positions and lobby effectively to contribute in development and progress to make aid more effective.
   ‘This is especially true in Bangladesh… where civil society plays a crucial role as partner of the government improving the living conditions of thousands and thousands of people,’ he said while addressing a discussion at the National Press Club Tuesday morning.
   Voice (Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment) and Aid Accountability Group jointly organised the discussion titled ‘Role of the Civil Society on Aid Effectiveness’.
   Chaired by Voice executive director Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, the discussion was addressed, among others, by deputy Danish charge d’affaires Jan Moller Hansen, executive director of the Transparency International, Bangladesh Iftekharuzzman and coordinator of Nijera Kori Khusi Kabir.
   DFID adviser for Aid Effectiveness Bo Sundstrom presented at the session the keynote paper on ‘How to work more effectively together to deliver real development outcome’.

VOICE and the Aid Accountability Group (AAG), Bangladesh are going to organize a Consultation on the 'Role of Civil Society on Aid Effectiveness'.

Date : 26 January 2010

Time : 10.00 am. to 1.00 pm.

Objectives: The objective of this consultation is to discuss the effectiveness of aid in the context of Paris Declaration of Aid Effectiveness and Accra Action Agenda (AAA). This national consultation helps promoting discussions, enhancing information exchange and consensus building and presenting opportunities for wider coordination and collaboration among CSOs. The consultation will also discuss on a sharper focus on how the civil society organizations can play a better role for the effective use of aid for development results as well as the role of government and donor communities. 

Venue : Conference Room, National Press Club

Speakers : Excellencies EU Ambassador Mr. Stefan Frowein and Danish Charge de Affairs (Deputy) Mr. Jan Moller Hansen have kindly consented to speak at the occasion as Guests of Honour. Among others, Mr. Bo Sundstrom, Advisor, Aid Effectiveness from DFID will speak as a panelist. 

You are coordially invited.

Regards,

Ahmed Swapan