This report aims to shed light on the way innovative solutions have arisen to address local sustainable development challenges, examining the determinants of success and the scope for replication. The report focuses on the African experience. The volume is composed of ten case studies, selected for their truly innovative nature, effective implementation, significant outputs and generation of real social welfare improvements, grouped under five headings: enhancement of agriculture and fisheries, protection of ecosystems, water management, health improvement and sustainable tourism. Practical conclusions drawn from the case studies include: sustainable projects need to link environmental goals to income generation, draw upon local knowledge and ideas, ensure effective buy-in from stakeholders through local community involvement in project design and implementation, and employ financially self-sustaining business models external forces which impact on a project and affect conditions for success, including international markets and national legislation. In some cases though, local success can provide arguments for more accommodating national policies to facilitate replication and scaling up simplicity in project design. Committed seed capital and integration of local traditions and cultural heritage appear to be important success factors for innovative local initiatives.
Governance and participation in health
In many parts of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa there is a growing gap between official accounts of how health systems operate and realities on the ground. Researchers in this study looked at how to gain access to competent health care in environments where there are growing but unorganised markets in goods and services, blurred boundaries between the public and private health care sectors, and a lack of state regulation. The researchers used the frame of the ‘social contract’ (an implicit agreement among people that results in the organisation of society) and focused on the problem of information asymmetry (inequalities in access to information) and associated power relationships, in particular those between patient and health care provider. Their paper highlights the importance of trust to relationships at all levels of the health system. Findings show that different ways of generating trust in goods and services, and new forms of regulation have emerged. The researchers call for greater understanding of the institutional context in which health systems operate in developing countries. They also stress the need to avoid dictating policy according to the experiences of developed countries. Instead, future debates will need to focus on how governments can create regulatory partnerships and enable improved access to information, building on the new social contracts that are already emerging.
About 300 delegates representing organisations from across the drug policy spectrum met in Vienna for the Beyond 2008 NGO Forum, an effort to provide civil society input on global drug policy. Building on a series of regional meetings last year, the forum was part of an ongoing campaign to reshape the United Nations' drug policy agenda as the world organisation grapples with its next 10-year plan. The NGO meeting, which included drug treatment, prevention, education and policy reform groups, harm reduction groups and human rights groups from around the world, resulted in a resolution that will be presented to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) at its meeting in March 2009. At that meeting, the CND will draft the next UN 10-year global drug strategy.
From Poverty to Power, Oxfam International's new book, provides critical insights into the massive human and economic costs of inequality and poverty and proposes realistic solutions. It proposes that the best way to tackle them is through a combination of active citizens and effective nation states. Why active citizenship? Because people living in poverty must have a voice in deciding their own destiny, fighting for rights and justice in their own society, and holding states and the private sector to account. Why effective states? Because history shows that no country has prospered without a state structure than can actively manage the development process.
A dominant theme at DENIVA’S 4th International Conference on NGO Accountability, Self Regulation and the Law at Kampala was the shrinking space for civil society. This global trend is reported to be affirmed by the findings of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index, given the particular context of the global “war on terror”. Sadly, even in well-entrenched democracies, where civil society space was hitherto considered safe, there are negative trends. In current circumstances, it is critical that the international community remains alive to the steady roll back on civil society space and hard fought civil liberties across the world. This imperative is underscored by the economic meltdown in ‘western democracies’ where much of the funding for democratic reform and civil society initiatives comes from. Ensuring the sustainability of civil society organisations working on the advancement of health, human and democratic rights is one such means.
Participation is important in developing countries as a means of improving the performance and accountability of bureaucracies and improving social justice. There are two basic criteria for participation: it should be broadly representative of the population and should involve meaningful discourse that affects public decision-making. Reviews of participation in Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) processes show that these criteria have not been met in most cases. However citizen involvement in budgeting has been more successful. Citizen participation made local service delivery more efficient and effective in the country cases reviewed. In most of the case studies, NGOs analysed the budget and mobilised citizens. These NGOs seek to represent the poor and disseminate their views to the government. They do not offer direct citizen involvement, but without their involvement participation would be reduced. Budget participation can influence governments even where they have not embraced direct involvement of citizens in decision-making. This depends on NGOs communicating analyses of spending choices, public service effectiveness, and budget execution to the public, media, and elected officials. A key policy implication for donors is therefore targeted support to civil society. However, donors and NGOs often overlook the importance of government administrations in implementing participation.
Civil society members and advocates for health care from all over the world met to discuss the International Health Partnership and Related Initiatives (IHP+) 'Scaling Up for Better Health Plan', aimed at strengthening primary health care to achieve the health-related MDGs for developing countries around the world, including Africa. In order to deliver on its stated goals, they believe the IHP+ must commit to a minimum set of guidelines. These civil society member and advocates stand united on three key principles that they consider non-negotiable: 1) Comprehensive primary health care must be provided for all. 2) Governments must pay their fair share. 3) The people’s voices must be heard.
It is now more than 3 weeks since widespread xenophobic terror against foreign nationals has erupted in provinces across South Africa. To date, over 20,000 people in the Western Cape have been displaced, some are staying in community halls and local shelters, but many have been taken to refugee camps, some against their will. Across our country more than 50 000 people were displaced. The displaced peoples' calls for the UN including (UNHCR) intervention have only grown louder, and were the main demand at a rally and press conference held by them in Cape Town. The groups are concerned that the UN seems to publicly take a position that they cannot assist unless and until the South African government requests their intervention and are unsure when that is likely to happen. TAC observes that the humanitarian crisis in South Africa continues to deepen.
TAC presents demands to the Cape Town City Council about the treatment of foreigners after the xenophobic attacks in the city.
It is widely believed that the recent overhaul of WHO’s publication policy is a response to recent pressures from some developed countries that were unhappy with some of its publications on the subject of IP and public health. There are serious concerns that the publications policy presented in the Secretariats Reports will result in 'self censorship' by WHO and its staff and will hamper timely advice and support by WHO HQ and regional offices to member states over important issues such as application of intellectual property rights and the use of TRIPS flexibilities, other trade and health matters, reproductive health care and other issues.