Philip J. Rutledge Seminar: Leadership and Governance in Africa

The National Academy for Public Administration (NAPA) created the African Working Group (AWG), whose mission is to “enhance public administration in Africa through strategic collaboration with African partners.” In order to achieve this mission, the AWG holds meetings and symposia to foster an environment of collaboration and learning. This event was focused on Leadership and Governance in Africa: Developing High Performing Public Administrators to Manage Economic Growth and Social Prosperity.

The keynote speaker, Dr. John-Mary Kauzya focused on governance, economic growth and prosperity in post-conflict countries. He explained that the post-conflict environment is a unique atmosphere because it has different challenges and opportunities than other political situations. He further elucidated that post-conflict issues are of special importance in Africa due to the high number of African nations in a post-conflict state. Dr. Kauzya first clarified that for the purpose of his speech, governance meant accountability. Governance is crucial in post-conflict situations because even pouring money into a problem will not fix things without a disciplined public administration.

Dr. Kauzya then moved on to talk about the issues confronting post-conflict governments. The first challenge of the government is to restore trust in the government, or establish trust in a new government. Post-conflict political leadership must reconstruct capacities in public administration, as it is the public administrators who carry out the daily tasks of governing the country. The second challenge is to assess the reality of the situation, and ensure a shared understanding of challenges facing the country. Through this challenge there is an opening for the third critical function of government: design and create a national vision and strategy.

The fourth critical function of the government is to sustain development oriented leadership and nurture future leaders for the country. The fifth critical function is to provide a framework for managing diversity and inclusivity in public administration. It is essential that all sectors of society are represented and have a voice in the public administration sector so that the new situation is free of the tensions that came before. Finally, the government must maintain and promote self-reliance. This is tied to promoting a message of hope: “we have been through so much and made it through, we have been poor for a long time, if no one will help us in the way that we want, on our terms, we will not be forced to submit, we will endure.”

Because post-conflict situations are highly tenuous, there are four political capacities required in a post-conflict world. The first is integrative leadership: one cannot govern a society that is fragmented and must work to integrate all facets of society. The second is entrepreneurial leadership: the leader must look at the country and establish a goal for how the country should be and map a path to get there. The third capacity required is administrative leadership: post-conflict everyone is used to an environment where the law is suspended, the leader needs to establish administerial procedure that is known to everyone. The fourth is operative leadership: the government needs to take action. In order for a post-conflict government to be successful these capacities must be integrated into one system.

Dr. Kauzya closed by defining two post-conflict faults that need to be corrected in order to create an effective government. In the process of public service reform and modernization issues related to the undeveloped professional status of human resource managers in the public sector is often neglected and there is often inadequate attention given to the strengthening of institutions responsible for building and sustaining public administration capacities.

Following Dr. Kauzya, a panel spoke about their lessons learned and experiences working in public administration in Africa. The first was Dr. Bernham Mengistu, who has worked in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. In order to promote public administration and managerial standards while in Ethiopia, he held book drives, provided technical support to universities and NGO’s, provided technical training to government, trained in comprehensive post-conflict parliamentary analysis, trained government officials for national and regional level offices, and graduated 35 people in public administration from the University in Addis Abba.

The second panelist was Dr. Jeanne-Marie Col who worked in Uganda. She explained that she has learned three important lessons while working in public administration. The first is that training in teams and organizations is more important than training individuals. The second is that sensitivity to cultures and neighborhoods is more important than theories and skills. The third is that data driven results that are tracked over time is more important than management fads. She concluded by explaining that with an increase in public administration there is more possibility for success.

Sponsor: National Academy of Public Administration
Date: September 23, 2008
Time: 1:00pm – 5:30pm
Representative Attending: Emily Riff

Modernizing Foreign Assistance

Representatives from a cross-section of NGO’s, including the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (M-FAN), InterAction, and the International Center for Research on Women, convened at Women Thrive Worldwide July 21 to discuss foreign assistance reform. Participants at this month’s ‘Gender, Poverty and Foreign Working Group Meeting’ agreed that a new Foreign Assistance Act must be enacted to ensure that men and women receive equal benefits from US development assistance and that the US policy is firmly committed to UNDP’s Millennium Development Goal of women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Participants harmonized that today’s foreign assistance program is too outdated to effectively address current challenges. They collectively insisted that US principles for foreign assistance must be restructured and clearly redefined before any steps can be taken to modernization. To ensure that reform efforts are both dynamic and lasting, it is also necessary to distinguish them from national security interests (as it is commonly misconceived that they are one in the same). Only after giving these principles a long overdue facelift can US foreign assistance programs evolve to meet today’s global challenges. M-FAN describes four priority actions for modernizing U.S. foreign assistance:

1. Develop ONE national strategy for global development.
2. Reach a “grand bargain” between the President and Congress to enact an all-encompassing Foreign Assistance Act.
3.Create a Cabinet-level Department for Global Development to improve organizational capacity and to strengthen monitoring and evaluation
4. Increase funding for foreign assistance and heighten its accountability.

To elevate global development issues to a higher level of national priority, the organizational structures of US foreign assistance must become stronger and more collaborative. Additionally, the US government must invest in this heightened priority interest with sufficient and flexible resources.

Although members of the Gender, Poverty and Foreign Assistance Working Group represent a wide array of interests, their unified support of these principles and priorities allows them to leave their personal agendas at the door and to unite in hopes of broadening this campaign. August’s group meeting to discuss the particulars of the proposed Foreign Assistance Act seems promising, given the camaraderie among members and their commitment to making the Millennium Development Goal of women’s empowerment reality and to furthering development efforts in Washington.

Sponsor: Women Thrive Worldwide
Date: 21 July 2008
Time: 3-4 PM
Representative Attending: Elizabeth Caniano

Can Businesses Do Well By Doing Good?

For years, the public sector and the private sector were seen as fundamentally different arenas. Today, that perception is changing. The United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) new Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative explores opportunities for cooperation between the public and private sectors, and presents strategies for developing partnerships between the two. The first report of this series, "Creating Value for All: Strategies for Doing Business with the Poor," illustrates ways that businesses can profit by focusing on poor, developing markets. UNDP launched this inaugural report on Capital Hill in Washington DC with a panel of congresswomen, development experts, and private sector analysts who reflected upon the important contributions of this report.

UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis emphasized his organization's commitment to incorporating the private sector into their development policy. UNDP hopes increased investment in the developing world can accelerate movement towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The private sector can assist economic development by overcoming traditional barriers such as a lack of information or business regulations. It can also provide financial services for entrepreneurs and physical infrastructure to transport goods to market.

US Representative of Missouri, Jo Ann Emerson, spoke of the private sector's important role in bringing expertise to developing markets. She has witnessed this contribution in her efforts to fight hunger and poverty both in the U.S. and abroad. US Representative of New York, Nita Lowey, also praised the private sector's ability to create opportunities, improve economies, and create jobs. Representative Lowey reflected on her efforts to fund education initiatives in developing countries, and the power of education in preparing the poor to enter the market and become successful entrepreneurs.

Jean-Michel Severino of the Agence Francaise de Developpement and James Kunder of USAID both highlighted the substantive nature of the report. It breaks down what Severino called "artificial distinctions" between the private and public sectors, and shows how business profits and poverty reduction can occur simultaneously. John Sullivan, Executive Director of the Center for International Private Enterprise, spoke of the private sector's ability to create the political will for reform in countries that do not have democratic governments. Business leaders can create civil society organizations, fight government corruption, and advocate for policy changes. His examples illustrated additional ways that the private sector can help the poor.

The Growing Inclusive Markets initiative is extremely relevant for every country who participates in the global market. The business model of the 21st century includes an increasingly large emphasis on developing markets and, as Mr. Sullivan warned, countries and corporations who do not embrace this trend will surely be left behind.

Sponsor: United Nations Development Program
Date: July 9, 2008
Time: 4-5:30 pm
Representative: Kate Lonergan

Stop Rape Now! UNDP official speaks out

On July 17th, Kathleen Cravero, Director of the UN Development Program's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery spoke to the Women's Foreign Policy Group. An excerpt from Ms. Cravero's remarks is below:

The first-recorded international war crimes trial – for “conduct unbecoming a knight” – took place in 1474. The charge included rape, and the penalty was death. Yet it was just last month–over 600 years later – that the United Nations Security Council explicitly recognized war-time rape as a security issue that warrants a security response.

Thus we are meeting at a historically optimistic moment. A moment when mass rape has, at last, graduated from a humanitarian issue to a foreign policy priority. To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice”. And that’s what I would like to outline today: how the international community in general – and women in particular – have helped bend history. How we have navigated the long arc from advocacy to action, and where it leads us now. Because now more than ever – with women increasingly the targets of war – it is essential to take stock of the milestones and roadblocks we’ve faced, and to chart a course for the future.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Finance

The speakers included Mildred Callear, the COO of the Small Enterprise Assistance Fund, Harold Rosen, Founder of the Grassroots Business Initiative, and John Simon, Senior Vice President of Overseas Private Investor Corporation.

As Washington DC popularizes foreign assistance through continued overseas micro-financing, these three speakers described the key changes that need to take place, and the initiatives their companies are implementing in order to be more effective. According to Mildred Callear, the key change that SEAF implemented is an increased level of management depth. Callear noted that in many cases, companies will lend money to entrepreneurs overseas without any continuous contact or management. SEAF, which split from Care in 1996, focuses on continuous levels of management with each of their accounts. This tactic, referred to as In House Business Assistance, walks borrowers through marketing strategies, operations assistance, additional financing, and finance collection. This creates a relationship where SEAF acts more as a parent organization, not just a lender.

Harold Rosen started the Grassroots Business Initiative because of his theories on proper lending strategies. Rosen stated that too often business will simply loan an entrepreneur a lump sum and expect them to pay it back in 6 months. However, in order to effectively empower the poor as producers, consumers, and entrepreneurs, lenders need to provide sustained monetary donations, and take the risk of investing more than just “dribbles of cash” (Rosen).

Overseas Private Investor Corporation, an offspring of USAID, has also made a shift towards development promotion. While struggling with its image during that 90s, John Simon claims that the company made a shift back to its original intent in 2003. OPIC is currently focusing on providing dept, loan guarantees and political risk insurance in order to encourage Small and Medium Enterprise Companies in the US to invest in development overseas. Currently, 87% of OPIC’s business is with American SME’s attempting to invest overseas (Simon).

While these three companies are on different levels of establishment, and success, all three stress the importance of maintained contact and assistance when lending money to entrepreneurs over seas. Additionally, all three see this as the solution to sustainable development because it benefits both the lenders as well as the borrowers. With the United Nations Development Program’s recent launch of the Growing Inclusive Market Report, and the presentations by Callear, Rosen and Simon, it has become clear that Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Financing has become the preferred method to help developing countries to reach financial stability during the emerging era of Globalization.

Sponsor: Society for International Development, DC
Date: 7/10/08
Time: 12pm
Representative: Daria Willis

Beijing+13: Women’s Rights Revisited

On Thursday June 26th, the United Nations Development Program presented a panel of politically and professionally successful women to address the on-going absence of women in prominent political offices. The panel featured guest speaker Winnie Byanyima, the director of the Gender Team for the UNDP, a previous Member of Parliament, and women’s rights activist in Uganda. Also present were Gretchen Birkle, the Director of the Women’s Democracy Network at IRI (International Republican Institute), and Kristin Haffert, the Director of Women’s Political Participation Programs at NDI (National Democratic Institute).

In their respective analyses of the current issues preventing women’s successful integration into the political world, each panelist addressed the progression since the Beijing Women’s Conference (1995), and the Millennium Development Goals (2000). These conferences requested governments to increase their female national representatives to 30% and that there be gender equality for women, respectively. In her analysis, Byanyima addressed the reoccurring challenges women face, highlighting the lack of funding, support from political parties and lack of public welfare. In order to increase the number of nations that have achieved this 30% mark, Byanyima proposed a four-point plan:

• Political party reform in order to boost partisan parties’ support of women and implementations of quotas
  
• Increasing public and private funding for elections by fundraising at an earlier date
• Diminishing campaign violence and intimidation
  
• Increasing public welfare to provide childcare and other care services centralized around household work

Following Byanyima’s analysis, Gretchen Birkle emphasized the need for women to have fellow female mentors, and one on one support before, during and after their campaigns. In addition to the obstacles Byanyima mentioned, Birkle stated that in her research she has found women are also prevented by the “machismo” effect, and the lack of political room for new politicians regardless of their gender (i.e. Belarus and Zimbabwe).

Kristin Haffert also echoed the opinions of Byanyima and Birkle, claiming that a lack of women in strong positions within the political parties presents another hindrance to women’s political advancements. She also emphasized that the lack of media coverage of successful female politicians provides a mental barrier for women and societies as a whole. In addition to Byanyima’s four point plan, Haffert also suggested that an increase in the awareness of women’s roles in peace and security has a potential to boost women’s numbers in politics.
All three panelists agreed that while women’s numbers have increased since the Beijing Conference, the momentum is moving too slow, and many countries have yet to achieve 30%, including the US which is currently at 23%. However, twenty countries, half of which are not fully developed, have achieved the 30% mark, which is up from five in 2003. And other countries, such as Rwanda who has 48.8% women sitting on the national assembly, have almost achieved the 50% ratio set by the Millennium project. Still, this is not enough. The Millennium project’s original goals were to have 50% female representation by 2005, a goal that has already failed. Additionally, if women’s representation continues at its current pace, it will take 100 years to reach that goal in the US alone.

In conclusion, all three panelists emphasized the dire need for an increase in momentum. In addition, in order for the Beijing and Millennium goals to succeed, women must persist in the face of rejection, until societies see female politicians as a norm.

Sponsor: UNDP
Date: 6/26/08
Time: 12:00pm
Representative Attending: Daria Willis

Too Poor for Peace? Global Poverty, Conflict and Security in the 21st Century

Featured Speakers:

Lael Brainard (Director, Global Economy and Development, Brookings)

Jane Nelson (Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative)

Jennifer Windsor (Executive Director, Freedom House)

Susan Rice (Senior Fellow, Brookings)

Tariq Yousef (Senior Fellow, Middle East Youth Initiative, Brookings)

The fight against poverty has become a war of necessity for the US. Traditionally, the US military has been the main actor in crisis and reconstruction scenarios, though several panelists argued for a much broader approach to reducing poverty in weak or failing states all over the world.

Susan Rice argued that reducing poverty in weak states is a national security imperative. This is a unique moment in which American morality and strategic interests coincide, hopefully providing incentives for greater action the field of development. Globalization has made it increasingly easier for terrorists, pollutants, diseases and other threats to cross borders. The lack of strong governance and effective institutions in poverty-stricken states allows them to become active conveyor belts for transnational threats that directly affect US national security. These states also act as regional sinkholes that can destabilize entire areas.

Jennifer Windsor presented the view that advancing individual freedoms is an essential component of poverty reduction. Political restrictedness directly contributes to poverty and civil unrest. The promotion of democracy has come under recent attack, mainly given the Bush Administration’s approach to this process. Instead, the focus should be on providing support to local actors working for reform. Currently, democratic assistance accounts for less than 4% of total foreign aid, a statistic which leaves these actors vulnerable in their work. According to Windsor, there needs to be greater initiative on behalf of the US government to promote democracy based on local culture, traditions and experiences.

The role of private corporations and NGOs in poverty reduction initiatives has also been growing in the recent decade. Jane Nelson, part of the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, emphasized that these actors must ensure their own operations do not undermine local efforts and exacerbate the ongoing conflict. Country-based initiatives are also highly successful, such as the Angola Enterprise Program developed as a partnership between the UNDP and Chevron designed to support local businesses. Hybrid initiatives, combined with market-driven approaches to philanthropy, can have great effect.

Poverty reduction efforts in conflict-ridden states have proven most effective when they are coordinated with national strategies and local actors such as NGOs and corporations. Development is ultimately about helping others help themselves.

This event was designed to promote Too Poor for Peace? Global Poverty, Conflict, and Security in the 21st Century, Lael Brainard and Derek Chollet, eds. Brookings Institution Press 2007.

Sponsor: Brookings Institution

Location: Falk Auditorium

Date: June 5th

Time: 10:00-11:30am

Approximate Number of Attendees: 100

Intern Attending: Alexandra Martins

The U.S. in International Peacebuilding: UN Integrated Missions and the Development of Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities

Speakers: Espen Barth Eide (Deputy Minister of Defense for Norway)
Ambassador John Herbst (Coordinator of Office of Stabilization and Reconstruction)
James Dobbins: Director of International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND
Moderator: Mark Malan (Peace building Program Officer, Refugees International)

The overall approach to peacekeeping has evolved since the end of the Cold War from military-heavy operations to stabilization and nation-building missions. The US in particular has begun to shift focus to integrated missions that encompass more multilateral efforts which attempt to deal with state-building challenges.

Minister Eide of Norway presented the case for a comprehensive approach to integrated peace missions, increasingly undertaken by his own government. There is a greater need to consolidate the military and civilian components of peacekeeping to deal with the lack of a holistic and coherent strategy. The UN now designates a Special Representative of the Secretary General as the senior coordinator in a given country, with the task of realigning all existing peace campaigns. This will hopefully prevent repetitive policies originating from different departments and agencies. The Minister fears that the result of US involvement in Iraq will be a general retraction from peacekeeping operations, which would diminish their capabilities.

Ambassador Herbst directly addressed the challenges of creating an American precedent in this newly developing field. The Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) was created in the State Department in February of this year. Herbst, the Coordinator of S/CRS, stressed that a whole-of-government approach is essential in defining the new role of US peacekeeping operations around the globe. He emphasized two mission objectives: (1) to create a unified approach to stabilization and (2) to deploy sufficient capabilities for nation-building. Inter-agency communication within the State Department, as well as with the Pentagon and other international reconstruction offices, is a new priority on the agenda.

Mr. Dobbins, highly critical of US peacekeeping efforts, argued that American officials ought to emulate the example of UN Peace Operations in places such as Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Liberia. These missions have proven more effective in stopping conflict as well as promoting democratic governance. The UN also spends far less money on peacekeeping than the US, and with far greater results. Author of A Beginner’s Guide to Nation-Building, Dobbins also heavily criticized the US’s ability to conduct this essential task despite having the most experience in the field, especially in the Middle East region.

Questions at the end of the discussion revealed a general sense of disillusionment with the use of US expertise in the field. I asked the Minister whether peacekeeping operations should take advantage of the field-experience of development agencies such as the UNDP, which has already established experienced Country Offices with comprehensive knowledge of the region. He wholeheartedly agreed that integration with UN agencies is essential, stressing that this was an essential part of the future of integrated missions.

Sponsor: Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping (PEP)
Location: CSIS, B1 Conference Center
Date: Wednesday May 23^rd, 2007
Time: 15:00-17:00
Approximate Number of Attendees: 25
Intern Attending: Alexandra Martins

Trade on Human Terms

Event Title: Trade on Human Terms
Sponsor: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Date: October 18, 2006
Time: 12pm - 2pm
Approximate Number of Attendees: 100
Intern Attending: Kristin Broyhill

Speakers: Hafiz Pusha, UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Director; Sandra Polaski, Carnegie Endowment; David Walters, United States Trade Representative.

In July 2006, the United Nations Development Program published the Asia-Pacific Human Development Report: Trade on Human Terms, concentrating on the needs of balanced trade, transitional periods, trade protections and free trade agreements among the developing Asian countries.

Trade liberalization carried promises of increased development leading to poverty reduction. However, the WTO failed to properly manage globalization, which resulted in an unequal balance of trade. This in turn led to unequal development within and among regions. Looking at these results, it can be argued globalization has failed to deliver its promises to the masses.

Beginning in the 1980’s, Asia’s strong holds, China and India, took advantage of trade liberalization and built strong economies via their manufacturing and service industries, respectively. However, with China and India’s regional and global trade domination, the area’s Least Developed Countries (LCDs) were unable to compete in and had little to no access to their regional trading markets; much less the global markets. This trade imbalance left LCDs further behind in development and poverty alleviation. Special treatment of LDCs regarding tariffs and critical economic sector protections is necessary in order to enable LCDs to survive and specialize internally before being exposed to the global market.

Since the 1980’s, export product numbers and revenue throughout Asia-Pacific have soared. What is not reflected in those numbers, however, is the increased unemployment rate, decreased wages and depleting working conditions. These have developed partly in response to a lack of monitoring, and increased implementation of competitive quotas by international companies.

To put uneven growth and the regional trade inequality into perspective, in the 1990’s the manufacturing sector of India grew by 11 percent, while job growth was less than 1 percent. Asia-Pacific’s textile exports added up to 18 billion dollars, but the breakdown consisted of almost 15 billion from China, close to 3 billion from India, and the rest split amongst the fourteen other regional LDCs. LDCs have little or no access to China’s market. In 2005, the fourteen Asia-Pacific LDCs together exported 300 million dollars worth to China, while importing 4 billion from China.

The speakers noted that the rural agricultural economies have been hit the hardest by globalization. Western subsidies and free trade agreements have enabled Western producers to sell their products in developing countries at prices that undercut local producers and their product prices.

Trade is an important part of poverty reduction. However, the WTO and developing countries must look at employment implications sector by sector and plan accordingly in order to absorb and train those recently unemployed. To ensure a balance and smooth transition, protections and gradual sequencing of the steps toward trade liberalization need to be put into place and monitored over a number of years to minimize destabilization, poverty and unemployment.

Most importantly, argued the speakers, rather than a focus on production numbers, trade policy must create a middle class of consumers in order for globalization and trade liberalization to be profitable and sustainable for all.

World Bank Anti-corruption effort

06/19/o6 11:45- 2:30

Speakers:
Daniel Kaufmann (Director of Global Programs and Governance, World Bank Institute)
Leticia Diaz (Chair, DC Executive Committee; National Association of Social Workers)
Jessica Hartl (Coordinator, Council of Organizations, UNA-USA)


This presentation highlighted the positive impact of democratic governance and the destructive impact of corruption within the framework of economic development. The premise of the presentation was that democratic governance can translate into positive economic development, yet economic development does not necessarily translate into positive democratic governance, as defined by qualities like transparency and free elections. Both civil society and economic development need to work hand in hand. The World Bank in its early stages did not include civil society factors as core to the mission of achieving development. Yet the Bank now focuses, along with other organizations, on achieving democratic governance-and development- through a myriad of ways: by promoting accountability, fighting corruption, building freedom of speech, encouraging human rights, and engaging the private sector.

Many countries in a matter of only a few years have achieved great development growths, including Eastern European countries who are awaiting accession into the EU. These countries have made a global commitment to achieve their development objectives through systematic democratic governance reforms. This push to fight corruption and achieve development is not only driven by UNDP and the World Bank, but also by the political will within the country itself.

While the speaker mentioned in the presentation that UNDP is more efficient than the World Bank in monitoring the progress of countries' development of civil society, all actors can become become agents of development by utilizing the expertise of UNDP in the field.

To learn more, visit the World Bank website to see a transcript of the presentation given.

The Launch of the GROWTH (Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive) Act 2006

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Speakers:
Ritu Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Women’s Edge Coalition
The Honorable Nita Lowey, Congresswoman from New York
Susy Cheston, Senior Vice President for Policy, Opportunity International
Shade Bembatoum-Young, Founder and CEO, African Sustainable Small Enterprise Export Development Foundation, Nigeria

The Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) Act is a legislative bill that has been drafted by Nita Lowey, Congresswoman of New York, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Congresswoman of Florida. The act proposes a change to US international assistance and trade program to better assist women in poverty by improving their economic situation. The act removes many of the trade barriers that currently prevent women from participating in their countries economies.
Ritu Sharma discussed how the launch and approval of this bill will give women greater economic opportunity and will help women worldwide. Not only will women be able to sustain themselves and their families, but they will be able to thrive in the global market. The challenge of the GROWTH Act is to create 1.3 billion jobs.
The Honorable Nita Lowey discussed how this bipartisan legislation will have a deep impact on developing nations. The status of women is a good indicator of the economic situation and stability within a country. The act will not only lift women out of poverty but give them access to financial outlets so they can lead enterprises, gain global trade opportunities, and train others. The bill will change women’s economic situation from micro to macro enterprise.
Susy Cheston from Opportunity International discussed the empowerment impact that the bill would have on women. In an independent study, female clients were better able to improve nutrition, food aid, and diets in their families than male clients who had been given the same economic training. This study supports the need for women to gain greater economic opportunities. In fact, economic freedom is fifty-four times more than democratic freedom in diminishing violence.
Shade Bembatoum-Young spoke of the current situation of women in Africa. Because of wars, retrenchment exercises, and HIV/AIDS, the number of women running their households is substantially higher. In effect, there is a greater need for women to be provided with economic opportunities to support their families. She spoke of one Ghanaian woman who married a Nigerian man. She had the clever idea to blend Nigerian and Ghanaian fabric to produce beautiful shawls. A UNDP project in Nigeria paid rent for her building, helped her train weavers, invented a tailored weaving loom, and exported her product outside of Africa. She gained international success and was able to build her business and employ many women and men, both directly and indirectly. Shade Bembatoum-Young praised UNDP for giving this woman the economic training she needed to run her business and for the financial support to start her endeavor.

by Rebecca Bonardi

Georgia Problems and Prospects

June 5, 2006 12-1:30 PM

Speakers: Former American Ambassador to Georgia and Current executive director of Open World Leadership Center Richard Miles. The Moderator is Blair Rubble.

The US perspective of Georgia as a failed state. Georgians has very strong family relations that helped people survive hardships.

During the time when Ambassador Miles was in Georgia, the state was facing major problems and it seemed in a helpless situation. The Country infrastructure was falling apart on all levels (roads, hospitals, schools, electricity). Employees were not receiving their salaries for a number of years due to bribery and corruption. Also Georgia was suffering high criminalities rates.

The Major problems in Georgia were summarized into:
Eliminating Corruption and the need to building democracy by developing well organized parliamentary elections. Human Rights lack of religious freedom (widespread anti Evangelical Church sentiment). Health Care is in a dire situation.

What was mentioned about UNDP?
The Execution of Preliminary election was conducted by the help of USA, EU, OSCE … as well as many international organizations including the UNDP, all very active. UNDP donated 1.5 million dollars to the building democracy program in Georgia.

by Youmna Diri

The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges

June 22, 2006 4:00-6:00pm

Speakers: Inge Kaul, Special Advisor, Office of Development Studies, UNDP
Pedro Conceicao, Acting Director, Office of Development Studies, UNDP
Nancy Birdsall, President, Center for Global Development
Steve Radelet, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development

Inge Kaul and Pedro Conceicao presented their new book, The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges, a compilation of papers about public finance in an increasingly interconnected world. As Inge Kaul explained, the book began as a survey of textbooks on public economics and finance. Surprisingly, almost all of these textbooks were based on a closed economic model. In reality, the world does not operate in closed economic models. This book examines how public finance and policy has changed with the opening of markets.
In their research, Kaul and Conceicao discovered that public finance has changed, and governments are adapting their policies in encouraging ways. For one, governments are increasingly blending domestic and external policy preferences. In an increasingly interconnected world, external political pressures –global companies and NGOs, for example- are forcing states to consider global preferences. As a result, nation-states are acting as “intermediary states”, representing both national and global interests.
Increasingly, governments are cooperating through market mechanisms. These mechanisms allow governments to bypass bureaucratic intergovernmental organizations and supernational mandates. For example, governments engage in risk-sharing techniques through markets. This risk sharing replaces self-insurance, an inefficient practice that hinders governments’ growth potential. Pedro Conceicao referred to GDP-indexed bonds as an example of risk sharing through markets. Governments can issue these bonds to protect themselves from default during a recession without stockpiling enormous cash reserves.
Next, IGOs are adapting to globalization by creating new financing actors and taking advantage of new financial tools. New actors, including global funds for international issues and public-private partnerships, allow IGOs to address issues on an international scale. New financing opportunities, such as advanced purchase commitments, also improve the international community’s ability to address global issues. Advanced purchase commitments are guarantees by governments to purchase a product that has not yet been developed. For example, governments might promise to purchase the first $3 billion of a Malaria vaccine, even though no vaccine exists today. Right now, pharmaceutical companies will only develop a drug for the developing world if there is a market, and markets can only exist if a drug is available for NGOs or governments to purchase. Advanced purchase commitments guarantee a market, thereby encouraging pharmaceutical companies to develop the necessary drugs.
Despite the new public financial system’s potential benefits, this new system has significant drawbacks, as Nancy Birdsall pointed out. For example, even with the expansion of intermediary states and public-private partnerships, the international community still does not cooperate on many key issues for developing countries. Also, when global public goods are under funded, developing countries, and the poor in particular, are hurt more than developed countries. Additionally, aid institutions must ensure their aid is working to build capacity in developing countries, not creating dependent welfare states. Finally, states experience collective action problems. States do not want to act unilaterally or first, and many projects stall because no one is willing to take the first step. Thus, the new public finance system could potentially benefit the world, but the system still faces many obstacles.

by Adam Perry