PES Manifesto

Developing development

Published Monday, May 19, 2008 at 10:10
by bverdeyen (538 views and 0 comments)

The European Union today is the largest donor in development and international aid.
A European fact we can indeed be proud of.

But let us not rest assured...the international (aid) scene is rapidly changing, for the best and the worst.

New players have entered the domain of international development and aid.
China, for example, seems to have (re)discovered the African continent and are rapidly becoming a major player. Not all that strange after all, since the Chinese aid comes with much less regulations than the aid the EU or the UN offers. Yet, it comes at a much higher cost in the end.

But the way local NGO's work is changing as well. With as much failure stories as success stories, projects have a tendency to grow more local and more small-scaled. Western aid workers slowly abandon the idea they know better and that western models can simply be implemented in a non-western context.

Local partnerships and consultation rounds now determine the needs of local people.
Participation and co-ownership are now key-words in these new formats being developed.
Aid is so much more than simply drilling water holes or offering medical supplies. Aid should also come in the forms of education and information.

As the largest donor, the European Union also has the largest responsibility. A responsibility to avoid trading aid for political sway or economic deals. Aid should be a first step to self-governance, not a hidden form of neo-colonization, as some players nowadays seem to think.

The international scene is rapidly playing...and Europe needs to help it change in a social way.

Tags: Africa, development, globalization, trade