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Afghanistan

2010-06-04T06:48:00.004+08:00

Afghanistan is with 50% of its population are living on approximately less than USD $1 per day, is one of the most impoverished countries in the world (Department for International Development, 2010). In addition, the country is also far off from achieving all of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Bennett, Alexander, Saltmarshe, Phillipson, & Marsden, 2009).

Afghanistan is a major producer of the opium; it produces 87% of the world’s supply of opium. The production of opium also makes up a large portion of the country’s GDP, rendering the country’s economy dependent on the production of opium (Asian Development Bank, 2005; Department for International Development, 2010). However, despite its contribution to the economy of Afghanistan, the production of opium creates a myriad of social problems which creates challenges to the countries development, such as:

· Organized Crime
· Insecurity
· Corruption
· Addiction
· HIV/AIDS (Asian Development Bank, 2005, p. para. 12)

Recommendation

One of the reasons the farmers in Afghanistan cultivates opium is due to the high economic returns as compared to other cash crops (Asian Development Bank, 2005). As such, one of the ways in which to cut-down and subsequently, eliminate opium production is to encourage farmers to stop producing opium by introducing more efficient ways of cultivating other cash crops that would provide them with similar economic returns. For example, farmers could be introduced to more effective and efficient agricultural practices such as crop rotation, so that they could have multiple harvests of different crops through the year while at the same time not sacrificing the fertility of the crop land.

The reduction and gradual shift away from the cultivation of opium may help path the way on which the social ills listed above could be tackled and resolve.

References

Asian Development Bank. (2005, December). Development challenges. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from Asian Development Bank: http://www.adb.org/Documents/Periodicals/ADB_Review/2005/vol37-6/dev-challenges.asp

Bennett, J., Alexander, J., Saltmarshe, D., Phillipson, R., & Marsden, P. (2009, May). Evaluation of DFID's country programmes: Afghanistan 2002-2007. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from Department fo International Development: ww.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/evaluation/afghan-eval-summary.pdf

Department for International Development. (2010). Afganistan. Retrieved Jun 4, 2010, from DFID: Department for Internation Development: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Where-we-work/Asia-South/Afghanistan/

By Zhi Qiang

Shaun's Assignment

2010-06-02T06:28:00.001+08:00

International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion.
Write a research blog about real challenges or failures in international aid delivery because of reasons related to the organization itself, or because of the conditions of the area in which it is working. You should thoroughly research the problems and provide ideas as to why the challenge or failure occurred.

Unless the United Nations is allowed to expand and convert (“re-hat”) some of the existing AU force of 7,000 troops in Darfur to the 20,000 peacekeepers called for in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1706, passed on August 31, "the people of Darfur will face catastrophe," says the USAID Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, Michael Hess.

For this assignment I will write about USAID’s challenge to deliver aid to Darfur in Sudan.

Situation
According to change.org, an online hub for social change, Darfur is ranked as the third most difficult place to deliver aid to. The reason being that there have been long lasting clashes occurred in the western region of Darfur in the early 1970s between the pastoral tribes. The rebels accused the central government of neglecting the Darfur region economically, although there is uncertainty regarding the objectives of the rebels and whether they merely seek an improved position for Darfur within Sudan or outright secession. Both the government and the rebels have been accused of atrocities in this war, although most of the blame has fallen on Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, which are armed men appointed by the Al Saddiq Al Mahdi administration to stop the longstanding chaotic disputes between Darfur tribes.

Besides the widespread violence and political upheaval, it is also said that 80 infants die each day due to malnutrition. Statistics show that the conflict, famine, fighting, and disease has killed more than 2 million people, forced an estimated 500,000 Sudanese to seek refuge in neighboring countries, and displaced an additional 4 million individuals within Sudan.

Problems faced when delivering aid
1) Insecurity
2) Lack of humanitarian access
In October 2008 alone, 144 humanitarian premises assaulted and 225 humanitarian vehicles hijacked through October. Aid workers will have to apply for an exit visa to leave Sudan.

Possible solution: For this situation, the situation can be solved using the top down and bottom up approach.
For the top down approach, USAID can collaborate with the United Nations (UN) and step in to provide political reformation first. This is the diplomatic approach to solve the conflict between the many parties and the government. Also, through collaboration with the local government, aid such as food can be delivered through the official channels and thus, less food will be lost through corruption – yes, definitely food will be lost in the process due to stealing, etc. During this period of time, the UN can provide security aid as well.
Once the political situation has cooled down, further action such as construction can be done. This is to provide homes for the 2.7 million people that are currently in internally displaced people (IDP) camps. At this stage, the country should also be opening up to receive more international aid.

Camps of the IDP

For the bottom up approach, which would be less of less impact and effectiveness, USAID can focus on IDP camps to deliver aid to. This is because these people are the people that are directly affected of the on-going conflict and as such, they will require more aid. Short term aid such as food, water and medical supplies should be delivered first.
In the long run, USAID can start providing more skilled workers to help the displaced people cope with the trauma and start schools in the camps to educate the people there.

Shaun

Adeline's Post

2010-06-02T00:06:00.002+08:00

Challenges faced by World Food Programme in providing food aids to people in Pakistan.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has invested more than US$1.5 billion since the 1986, assisting generations of Pakistan’s poorest citizens.
WFP has been involved in the response to the complexity of food security challenges, assistance encompasses emergency and also recovery and developmental components of Pakistan to help the most vulnerable people in the country – women and children. There are a few factors that pose as threats to the food security in Pakistan. These are the (1) earthquakes, (2) poverty, (3) extreme environmental conditions and (4) low education levels.

There are several emergency programmes such as “Food Assistance to Internally Displaced and Conflict-Affected Persons in NWFP and FATA”, “Assistance to Vulnerable Populations Affected by High Food Prices” and other country programmes by the WFP that aims to improve access to food that can enable women and girls to take advantage of developmental opportunities and also contribute to an improvement of household food security, while addressing the health and nutrition needs of women and children, and promoting basic education.

Although these programmes have been successful so far, there are still difficulties in providing food aids to the citizens of Pakistan, especially to women. This is because the country is of strong Muslim religious background and the men dominate the society. Giving food to women and focusing on women and girls rather than boys will not be effective as it may lead to men’s opposition and resentment. This is challenge for WFP when it comes to providing food aids to the most vulnerable in Pakistan.

Since this involves food security, perhaps by bringing men into the process will lessen the challenges that WFP may face. Targeting the family as a unit can better reinforce food security for the household and really benefit the citizens of Pakistan as a whole.
On the other hand, Pakistan is greatly affected by earthquakes and extreme environmental conditions. In 2005, a deadly earthquake struck Pakistan and 3 million people were left homeless. There were also floods in recent years that have killed many people. The citizens of Pakistan needed more help than what was given.

Recently, on 10 March 2010, six aid workers from World Vision International were murdered while working in the earthquake area to assist survivors. That was followed by a suicide attack in October 2009 on the main office in Islamabad of the WFP that killed five workers.
Pakistan is also facing displacement crisis caused by military incursions. More than 2.2 million people were internally displaced.

The biggest challenge for WFP is not in providing aid, but for its aid to be accepted. The problem lies with the location that aid is being provided. Pakistan is a place that faces many problems due to natural disaster and conflicts that caused hurt to the citizens. It is possible to provide aids to the victims of earthquake, but it is difficult to bring these aids to the citizen, especially when the lives of aid workers are endangered.

It is difficult for WFP’s food aids to reach the Pakistanis as many regions are complicated by danger of guerilla attacks. Although the government tries to help in delivering these aids, they are also vulnerable to attacks by the Taliban. This is because the Taliban’s attitude towards aids was often suspicious and most of the foreign donors and aid workers are non-Muslims. When such violent incidents occur, the food aids that were meant for the citizens do not get transported and it may also be wasted.

It is not an easy to overcome this big challenge that WFP and most international aid agencies face. There are a few recommendations that may help WFP to overcome the challenge. When sending food aids over to Pakistan, the aids can be sent to places in Pakistan where it is much safer even if it does not reach the citizens directly. Perhaps WFP can work with other organizations to later transport the aids directly to the citizens with the help of intermediaries. Another recommendation can be to work with organizations that are already situated in Pakistan and are within the citizens. Food aids can be sent to these organizations or the aid workers can join the organizations that are already providing aids to the citizen. By working with organizations, it can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of food aids reaching the citizens. Lastly, if food aids is unable to reach the citizens, conceivably, WFP can provide monetary support to other organizations that are able to bring aids to the people more effectively.

2010-06-01T23:33:00.003+08:00

Amanda Neo’s write-up

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2010/01/17/image6107797x.jpg

I will be discussing on the challenges faced by US in the provision of aid to Haiti that resulted from a poor organizational practice.

Let me start by giving a background of Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Over 80 percent of people in Haiti live in abject poverty. Over half the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Over 80 percent of the people do not get the minimum daily ration of food as defined by the World Health Organization. Less than 45 percent have access to potable water. Life expectancy in Haiti is 53 years. Only one in every 100,000 Haitians has access to a physician. Being plagued by political violence all its years, in May 2006, Haiti was finally put under control as it inaugurated a democratically elected president and parliament.
Unfortunately, a massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 which called a catastrophe in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. An alarming 100,000 people were dead within 60 seconds; this catastrophe is indeed a nightmare for the Haitians. Having such detrimental effects, Haiti required plentiful international aid assistance to help them tide over this nightmare.

Being less than a 100miles away from Haiti, US failed to deliver the food, water, medical supplies, and rescue teams and medical personnel that Haiti needed desperately during the first few days after the earthquake struck Haiti. It was only a week after the earthquake, on January 18, that the first US airdrop of food and water were made. Also, it was reported that the tons of supplies were stacked up at the airports, not moving after three days since the earthquake happened.
Why did US experience delay in giving aid to Haiti? The cause of the delay can be mapped up by a few factors such as Haiti’s main demolished seaport, a congested one-runway airport, road congestions and a shattered communication system.

http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/img/news/2010/800px-Haitian_Port_Damage1.jpg
With a demolished seaport, there were no land points for ships which were carrying supplies for Haiti such as humanitarian aid, food, water, rice, beans, oil, MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat), USAID food packages, construction materials and tents.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/01/201011531716311291.html

The downfall of the seaport has made aid bottleneck at Haiti airport as it was an impossible task for such a small airport to coordinate such large numbers of aircrafts. The arriving aircraft have been hampered a lack of staircases used to access the planes and allow crews to disembark. Moreover doctors, sniffer dogs, troops and rescue workers had to contend with airport congestion, limited jet fuel for return flights and an airport without an air traffic control tower or working radar as the tower had collapsed when the massive earthquake struck Haiti.

http://sydsvenskan-img.se/archive/00337/sxe32426_337906a.jpg

Even after the relief teams have managed to unload the supplies from the aircraft, the road posed created another problem for them as it was filled with debris or quake survivors seeking shelter. Adding to this set of problems will be the shattered communication system. Because of the earthquake, communications were disrupted as electricity supplies were cut off at certain parts of Haiti; this made it impossible to determine the number of casualties. Therefore, relief teams were unable to get a clear picture of what is going on in Haiti. In a nutshell, we can see that Haiti’s air, road and sea were all affected badly by the earthquake.

Now, I will like to provide a few recommendations on how these problems may be curbed. First of all, I think that there should be an expansion of the airport in Haiti. By doing so, it will not only assist Haiti in handling emergencies but also create economic opportunities in the long run, as a new airport will facilitate travel and boost business opportunities too. Secondly, sophisticated military vehicles can be deployed to facilitate aid provision in the rough roads of Haiti. These military vehicles can be used for defense purposes too. Thirdly, wireless network can be installed at all parts of Haiti to speed up communications and information will then be conveyed efficiently. Furthermore, local disaster workers in Haiti should all be equipped with emergency preparedness skills such as emergency teamwork. This is because during a rescue mission, you can never work alone. Rescue workers have to depend on each other and listen to instructions promptly in order for coordination to go smoothly. Besides, crisis coaching is essential too. Crisis coaches are practiced when you are instructed to lead a group of refugees to a safe location. This is not an easy task at all as most of the Haitian survivors have been traumatized by the earthquake; hence rescue workers are required to cope with the emotional side of disaster victims too. I believe that emergency preparedness is essential especially in disaster-stricken areas like Haiti.

In conclusion, I feel that US can increase their organizational practice efficiency by creating contingency plans as you will never know when disaster will strike again, but will never be afraid if you are prepared for it.

Resources

• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications//the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html

• http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/01/14/haiti-earthquake-left-100-000-dead-in-60-seconds-and-toll-could-reach-500-000-115875-21965474/

• http://www.rwor.org/a/189online/Haiti-en.html
• http://www.informationdissemination.net/2010/01/calm-before-storm-in-haiti.html

• http://www.soulwork.net/emergency.htm

• http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/01/201011531716311291.html

Chengxi's

2010-06-01T23:26:00.001+08:00

International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion

In the past decades, the Gaza Strip has been in conflict and unrest. Here is an overview of events.

A look at dates and events in the recent history of the Gaza Strip, home today to 1.5 million Palestinians:
_1967: Israel seizes control of the Gaza Strip from Egypt during the 1967 Mideast war and begins to establish settlements there.

_1971: Israel's military conducts harsh campaign to pacify Gaza and defeat armed militants.

_1987: The first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, known as the intifada, erupts.

_1994: Under the interim Israel-Palestinian peace accords, Israel transfers some power in Gaza to the newly formed Palestinian Authority. The Israeli military withdraws from population centers but retains control of borders and settlements.

_2000: The second Palestinian uprising erupts. Palestinian militants begin firing rockets from Gaza into Israel.

_2005: Israel evacuates all its settlements in Gaza and unilaterally withdraws its forces.

_2006: The Islamic militant group Hamas wins Palestinian parliamentary elections. Western powers declare Hamas a terrorist group. Internal Palestinian violence worsens and rocket fire into Israel increases.

_2007: Hamas wrests control of Gaza from the Western-backed Fatah movement in bloody street battles. Israel closes its border with Gaza and, along with Egypt, imposes a blockade.

_August 2008: The first boat sponsored by a pro-Palestinian group called Free Gaza reaches the territory. Five more boats follow before Israeli forces began to intervene.

_December 2008: Israel invades Gaza to try to halt years of rocket fire at Israeli towns. About 1,400 Palestinians are killed, many of them civilians.

_April 2009: An Israeli navy vessel collides with a Free Gaza boat steaming toward Gaza, then tows the boat to an Israeli port. Two more flotillas fail to reach Gaza in 2009.

_May 30, 2010: Israel intercepts six boats sponsored by Free Gaza and a Turkish NGO in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. Clashes between naval commandos and activists result in dozens of casualties.

I'll talk about the International aid to Palestinians.

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip receive on of the highest level of aid in the world. Aid has been offered to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and other Palestinian Non-governmental Organizations (PNGOs) by the international community, including International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs). The entities that provide aid to the Palestinians are categorized into seven groups: the Arab nations, the European Union, the United States, Japan, international institutions (including agencies of the UN system), European countries, and other nations.

In the history of events, it became obvious why aid was different to deliver to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

War between the Israeli and Palestinians caused much problems within the Gaza Strip.

Due to the violence and military level in these areas, aid that was allowed was limited.

On June 1, 2010, Israel launched a deadly attack on a convoy of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. This caused a casualty of 16 deaths.

Acts of violence made it nearly impossible to bring humanitarian aid within the Gaza Strip itself.

Through the decades of unrest, the area has become unstable for any form of sustainable development.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Although talks have been arranged with the UN, European Union, and representatives from Israel, they have not been effective in negotiating a leeway for humanitarian aid to be available in the Gaza War.

As such, I would recommend that UN utilises its peacekeeping forces to put a stop to the crossfires, and arrange for a treaty meeting amongst the nations within the Gaza Strip.

Organisations should arrange talks with the government of Israel and come to a compromise so that humanitarian aid can be brought into the war zones to help the innocent civilians.

The issue of the highest priority would be getting Israel to open up and allow humanitarian aid to the war zones.

Proper connections with their local support groups are needed to prevent any miscommunication in the land foreign to many.

Kay Yong's

2010-06-01T23:17:00.002+08:00

International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion

Failures and challenges in Cambodia

As a result of the large amount foreign developments fund that has been flowing into Cambodia for the past years, it “created a dependency culture and encouraged political irresponsibility and corruption” (Al Jazeera , 2008). This meant that instead of helping Cambodians, the foreign aids had caused the Cambodians to be begging and asking for money. This will results in the people not having the motivation to find a job as their countries have abundance amount of aids to help them survive.

Cambodia government has neglected and failed to attain its stated promise of governance
reform. This reform can help Cambodia to come up with a better set of governance so as to ensure a better growth and could help to stop any form of corruptions. (Thun, 2009).
As the political system in Cambodia is unstable, Non-governmental organization are able to register in different ministries. Some NGOs might “register through the Council of Ministers, some with Line Ministries or provincial authorities”. (Riska, n.d.). This has resulted in the government to be unable to track down what organization there are within Cambodia efficient. Being unable to even track what exactly what organizations there are, it is even harder to
monitor what programs have been organized to help the people.

Cambodia is also unable to attract people from the private sector to invest in her. This is due to the lack of skilled manpower that the private sectors demands. “Sustained economic growth cannot be achieved without the supply of skilled manpower that is needed by the private sector.” (Council of development for cambodia, 2002). Foreign direct investment will be able to help produce more jobs which would be able to maintain a better sustainable economic growth.
Underserved infrastructure results in low accessibility for transports, resulting in the access to facilities and aid are lower. (Council of development for cambodia, 2002). For example sanitation could be as low as 8.6 percents in rural areas, compared to 49 percent in urban areas. This will deter aid from reaching the people who need most especially during bad season as it is mentioned that even most tertiary roads are impassable during the wet season.

Recommendation

The most important recommendation is to have people who will monitor how aids are being spent. A set of rules could be clearly defined as to what are the criteria in order for a particular individual to receive aid. One criteria could this could be that in order for an individual to receive aids, he or she must be earning income from somewhere else too. This is to prevent dependency on aids that are given to Cambodia.

While asking governments to make promises, it is also recommended to write out a timeline or a framework. A written document would help to increase the rate of following what has been promised.

Next is to reform the political framework of Cambodia so that assistance will be documented. This would also include the registration of NGOs within Cambodia. Being able to document the organization there are, it can also increase the chances of NGOs (who are serving the same goal) to collaborate with one another as they would have a better knowledge of what other NGOs there are and increasing communications.

Last recommendation is to provide job through construction of infrastructure. Doing so would be able to solve two problems at one goal. These infrastructures would solve the problem of accessibility and also can help to attract more potential foreign investors to invest in Cambodia, promoting economic growth.

If you wish to know more about foreign aid in Cambodia, you can watch the video below too :D

Works Cited
Al Jazeera . (2008, June 17). Foreign aid in Cambodia . Retrieved June 1, 2010, from Al Jazeera English: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/101east/2008/07/200871613851378258.html
Council of development for cambodia. (2002, May). Cambodia's development challenges and recent developments. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from The council of development for cambodia: http://www.cdc-crdb.gov.kh/cdc/development_coor/cambodia_development.htm
Riska, G. (n.d.). Involvement related to poverty alleviation and watershed management Cambodia. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from Mengkoinfo: http://mekonginfo.org/mrc_en/doclib.nsf/0/B2C7B593F8EBDFDAC725682D000AC04C/$FILE/MAINREPORT.html#part3
Thun, V. (2009, May 2). Rethinking the administration and delivery of foreign aid in Cambodia . Retrieved June 1, 2010, from Peace and conflict monitor: http://www.monitor.upeace.org/archive.cfm?id_article=584

Bernice's Blog on International development assistance

2010-06-01T22:56:00.004+08:00

Somalia, is a country currently described and categorized as the world's most dangerous city, as reported 0n MOXNEWS.COM

This is the report on Somalia's current status report as of May 25, 2010 by MSNBC Rachel Maddow

As mentioned in the video itself, Somalia is currently a country that has no running government for 19 years and counting. It is considered as a failed state with the locals living there being terrorized everyday by the constant wars and battles between generals, warlords, other warrior types and even their seas are terrorized by piracy.

Currently, the status report on Somalia has shown that ever since the overthrowing of their president back in 1991, Somalia has not been able to deal with the famine and diseases, which have led to the deaths of up to one million people. Basically in Somalia, for 3 years and counting, the Shabab, which is one of Africa's most fearsome militant Islamic Groups, have been terrorizing the people of Somalia. The Shabab, if they were to have an accusation over a certain person of theft, they would simply chop the limbs of the person despite proper evidence of the accused theft. Not only that, for women, if they were seen to be dressed inappropriately by the Shabab, the Shabab would just lash at them.

As there is no proper rule in Somalia, it has become a state of free will whereby you are your own boss and you have the freedom to do anything that you wish to do. For us, we may think that it would be a great way of living, to be free of the law, but take a look at Somalia, would you wish to live in a country whereby you have to worry for your life, even under your own roof of your house.

In Somalia, the Shabab situation is so bad that even teenagers below the age of 16 are being part of the action. It seemed that the Shabab is actually highly influenced by the Strict Wahhabi version of Islam, a group better known as Al-Qaeda.

To be in a country without law and order, it is especially unsettling as for the people living there, they would have no one to turn to in times of need. They have no reliable government to turn to, no diplomatic representation and no aid available; right not, there is an estimate of only 250 doctors left in the whole of Somalia. What's more shocking is that, 20% of the Somalian children are malnourished, and 25% of families in Somalia has fled from their homes to living outside of Somalia due to their unstable economy.

The most distressing issue for International Aid group is to supplying and delivering aid to those in Somalia. Through videos that i will share later in this post, you will find that for refugees over in Somalia, there are indeed organizations coming down to wanting to deliver their necessities which includes basic health care, water and food; but the process of delivering the aid has always been interrupted by either the Islamic group, Shabab or even pirates from the seas.

The main problem that prevents aid to Millions suffering in Somalia is that the Food Aid from World Food Program (WFP) were reported diverted to a web of corrupt contractors, distributors, transporters and armed groups. Food aid were diverted to them for their own profits.

With such a huge problem in Somalia, it is very important for the International Aid Groups to really overcome this challenge that will resurface every time they try to deliver the aid over.

To solve the problem of such issues reoccuring, i suggest that the UN should take steps into setting up reliable army there in Somalia itself and it is compulsory to start by having law and order in Somalia.

Once there is a stable government in Somalia, the government can come in power to eliminate the problems of the Shabab terrorizing the whole city and when that happens, it would led to the city of Shabab being stable.

After the stabilisation of the country itself, the system and process of delivering aid to the country would be more fluent and thus, more people would be able to be able receive the aid provided by the international aid groups. It is necessary t first solve the base problem then proceeding to look into more matters that might disrupt the system.

Indeed, Somalia would be a great challenge to overcome, but i believe with the proper steps taken to address the issues, the challenge would become a thing of the past.

Marcus's write up on the Gaza Strip

2010-06-01T22:32:00.001+08:00

Conflict in the Gaza Strip

International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion

The Gaza Strip is a country which borders on Israel and Egypt. It’s a really small country with a population of about 1.6 million people. Most of which are refugees who fled during the Arab-Israeli war.

An organisation known as Hamas currently rules the Gaza Strip. They are a political organisation with a paramilitary wing that often takes a violent approach to solving its problems.

One of the biggest problems that the Gaza Strip faces is isolation. It’s bordered by Egypt and Israel and both are enemies. Hamas has had disputes and short, intense fighting with Israel and this leads to them not wanting to make peace with each other. Aid arriving from the sea has also been stopped by Israel. Recently there was a case of a raid on the aid arriving in Gaza which resulted in 9 activists being killed.

Another problem faced by the Gaza Strip is their government. Hamas is labelled as a terrorist organisation by the west and hence, little or no aid is provided to them.
The only railway that connects the entire Gaza Strip to Israel has been abandoned and is dysfunctional. Without it, aid cannot be distributed fast. To make matters worse, the airspace of the Gaza Strip is controlled by Israel hence preventing aid from being airdropped.

One recommendation to improve the condition of the Gaza Strip would be to have the United Nations step in to provide security. There is no use in providing aid if you can’t keep it. Making the country sustain itself is another option too. By developing irrigation methods and tools, the Strip will be able to produce their own food.

Having peace talks and a ceasefire with Israel will also be beneficial in developing the Gaza Strip. Finding out the reasons behind Israel’s attacks and boycotts on the Strip will be a step forward in finding a solution to solving the isolation of the country.

Marcus

international system- Julinda

2010-06-01T22:21:00.003+08:00

In 2008 May 2 and 3, a cyclone hit Myanmar destroying villages and paddy field, affecting around 2 millions of the population. (alertnet, 2010) The number of dead toll was between 68,833 and 127,990 as estimated by the Red Cross organisation. (THE NEW YORK TIMES, 2008) The government of Myanmar refused to receive the aid from the neighbouring countries and international organisation. This includes necessities like food, water, medicine and blankets and tent.

There are a few reasons why the aid did not reach the beneficiaries. One of the reasons is that the government refuse to accept international aid. Former Asean secretary-general Mr Ong Keng Yong tried to defend ASEAN’s handling of Myanmar cyclone aid issue thought that the Myanmar junta leaders tried to put up a brave front, thinking that they can deal with the disaster as they had done before in the past without the help of foreign aid. (The Straits Times, 2008) They did not really think about the consequences of the victims that are affected by the cyclone instead they care more about their image therefore they did not want to tell the world much.

As they did not update the world with their current situation, it is difficult for the organisation to prepare enough aid to help the victims in the affected area. The foreign aid teams would even have to negotiate with the government to grant them the access to the country. (Othmanzul, 2008) This had obstructed their rescuing plan in the country and leading to more death tolls in the disaster. Mr Yang Razali Kassim, a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies mentions that “"But the lack of information (in Myanmar) about infrastructure and many things that can help to process and bring the aid in would prove to be a major stumbling block" (Othmanzul, 2008)

When the government started to accept the aid given the various organisations, they stated that they would not want to receive help from the relief workers to distribute the suppliers but they rather distribute it themselves. The aid agencies on the other hand, wanted to coordinate and control their aid. (Mydans, 2008) Another major stumbling block would be the getting the support from the government as in this case, the government is not willing to coordinate with the aid agencies, this would cause delay in the providing the aid to the victims.

From the problems stated above, we can see that it is the government who is not willing to accept the aid and resulted in the failure in delivery aid. Some recommendations that I would suggest is firstly, they can meet the official government to discuss on the plan that the organisation has. The organisation can also work with the government to see on the areas that they need. This would ensure that the government have a clearer plan of what they are intending to do. At the same time, gain the support from the government in the disaster relief.

Secondly, involving the government in the plan will create a sense of ownership to the government. Involvement can be in the form of providing labour to the disaster relief and financially. We can ask the government what they can contribute to the disaster relief in long term. This would also ensure reponsbility from the government.

Bibliography
alertnet. (2010, April 28). Myanmar cyclone. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/MM_STO.htm
Mydans, S. (2008, May 9). UN to resume aid supplies to Myanmar. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/asia/09iht-09unaid.12730552.html
Othmanzul, Z. (2008, May 8). Will junta allow the world in? Aid groups face a man-made hurdle as Myanmar staggers from nature's fury. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from Today: http://global.factiva.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ha/default.aspx
THE NEW YORK TIMES. (2008, May 15). Aid Groups Say Myanmar Food Stolen by Military. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/world/asia/15myanmar.html?_r=1
The Straits Times. (2008, May 30). Myanmar: A turning point? Retrieved June 1, 2010, from http://global.factiva.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ha/default.aspx

International Systems Blog 2 - Melissa Poh

2010-06-01T21:15:00.002+08:00

The international development assistance for Health in impoverished countries faces challenges due to poor organisational structure and practices. Despite the increase in international development assistance for health, trends of diseases are evidently on the rise (Shiffman ,2008) among the low and middle income countries. Due to the inconsistent trends revealed in economic systems, investments in healthcare and education are given the backseat when budget is tight and there is a competition of resources. If healthcare is given the cuts in low and middle income countries, the beneficiaries will potentially increase total health expenditures by 30%, where previous subsidies found to be funded by doctors. The cause of the increase in cost of healthcare in low and middle income countries because 60-80% of their allocated health budgets are dependent on external sources (WHO, 2008). In addition, healthcare in low and middle income countries are less affordable as majority of the population lives below the poverty line and it has been proven that it is expensive to be poor. Transportation of healthcare to these people incurs higher costs due to inaccessibility. Due to a large discrepancy in monthly income between the rich and the poor, the impoverished possess very little purchasing power thus, poses a barrier for development assistance for Health to reach them.

The challenges faced by due to poor organisational structure and practices are as stated below:
1. There is a large number of initiatives focusing on specific diseases or issues instead of sector-wide strengthening.
a. The present setting is considered as incomplete, not synchronised and stirs uncertainty among stakeholders due to the careless handling of diversified initiatives (Sridhar 2009a).
b. There is a lack procedures of communication, transparency, clarification and assessments of operations within countries (Sridhar & Batniji 2008). In addition, they lack long term goals which in turn, questions sustainability.
c. Decisions and implementation of policies adopt the top-down’ approach and donor are driven towards personal benefits rather than the country's actual needs.
d. Turnover rates of health workers are high as other non-governmental organisations offer more attractive remunerations.

2. Lack of attention given to existing health institutions such as World Health Organisation, World Bank, UNICEF, IMF and WTO which results in weakened partnerships.
a. Establishing strong partnerships with reliable organisations ensure that issues that surface would be addressed appropriately. Organisations cannot function alone as they it is not possible to possess all resources.
b. Strengths of partners should be tapped on and tasked to relevant parts of the initiatives to ensure that resources and expertise are fully maximised.
c. Exchange of expertise and information can be accelerated with a larger pool of connections with relevant partner organisations.
3. Donors engage in priority-setting in accordance to personal interest instead of having the organisation’s best interest at heart. In addition, donors fail to report and communicate decisions and changes to stakeholders.
a. The beneficiaries’ needs would never be full met as quality of health assistance provided is compromised.
b. Unfair practices could stir up negative emotions among stakeholders resulting in resources wasted in dealing with conflict of interests.
c. Lack of trust for the people heading the initiatives will discourage people from receiving assistance. Hence, health issues are not addressed and diseases may become more widespread.
4. There is realistic difficulty in meeting rhetoric and funding horizontal interventions.
a. Horizontal interventions firms up the important care systems, develop quality of health systems and attend to basic non-disease problems.
b. Accurate statistics on horizontal intervention factors concerning the population numbers are not provided.
c. There is a lack of performance metric and measurements for assessment of the impact of initiatives.
d. Thus, poses difficulty for donors in projecting financial costs and allocating budget effectively.
5. Limited involvement of developing country governments receiving aid
a. Actual needs of the people in these countries will not be met due to the lack of a needs assessment
b. Country governments will feel intruded as their sense of belonging and knowledge of the best interests of their own country is challenged.
c. Misunderstandings may hurt bilateral ties between countries and aid provided will not be put to best use or may not reach intended beneficiaries due to pride and resistance from recipient country.
Recommendations:

A policy termed ‘country compact’ could be applied where partners function using a framework which adopts a single, focused, cost-efficient, results-oriented national health plan with the purpose of leveling-up the extent of impact. These policies should seek to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals targets. In addition, initiatives should be closely aligned to the Paris Declaration Principle on Aid Effectiveness.
To establish and improve connections with international partner organisations, transparency, accountability and accuracy of information provided is essential. In essence, statistics and assessments done on the recipient country and initiatives should reflect thorough analysis of information obtained. Clear interpretation of statistics allow organisation to know how they can offer assistance and allocate budget. Review of initiatives is proving feasibility and effectiveness on a long term basis.
To prevent conflict of interest, there should code of governance for donors and recipient countries to abide to. This is to ensure that both donor and recipient country stand on equal grounds. The rights of both parties will be duly respected and interests duly protected. When boundaries are not crossed, it motivates long term collaboration contributing to further development on both sides.
A set of measurements of the impact of initiatives should be drawn up and agreed by both the donor and recipient. Negotiation and accommodation should be applied by both parties to motivate mutually beneficial agreements.
In response to the lack of involvement of recipient countries, regular meetings should be held to keep involved parties updated. During these meetings, feedback and improvements of initiatives should be raised to better maximise the health assistance provided.

Juo Wi's Blogpost on International development assistance

2010-06-01T21:03:00.002+08:00

International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion

Introduction

The organization that I have chosen is World Food Program. The country that they are currently providing aid in is Somalia. It is said that Somalia is "one of the most dangerous places in the world" and with "the highest humanitarian need for the size of its population". According to UN reports, Somalia has the highest malnutrition rates in the world. It is not because the government is ineffective, but because there is not much of a government at all. Not only so, half of Somalia's population (3.25 million) is now in need of humanitarian aid, a 77% increase since the start of 2008, while 180,000 children under the age of five in South and Central Somalia are acutely malnourished.

Problems Faced

After looking at the amount of humanitarian need that Somalia requires, let’s look at some of the problems that World Food Program has encountered. First would be piracy in Somalia. In early 2010, WFP was forced to suspend the delivery of food assistance in southern Somalia due to the growing insecurity and threats and unacceptable demands from armed groups in the region. In the year 2008 alone, 36 aid workers were killed. On top of that, in February 2010, Al-Shabab, the Somali Islamist opposition group, has announced it will stop World Food Programme (WFP) operations in Somalia. In response to the ban, WFP insisted that its role in Somalia was “impartial and non political”. Even though Somalia is in need of dire aid, in November 2009, the Shabab imposed 11 conditions on UN agencies and non-government groups working in the country, insisting they stay out of Islamic affairs and pay a tax, or jiziya, of at least 20,000 dollars every six months. This cause WFP to stopped working in southern Somalia in January, announcing it had suspended distribution of food aid after months of attacks and extortion by rebels.

Recommendation

For the recommendations, the first problem to be met will be the piracy. I suggest that WFP work with the United Nations (UN) in tackling this matter. This is because UN would have more manpower and authority in handling the matter as an international organization. UN can make use of Interpol to bring the piracy matter under control. The second matter to tackle would be to gain the trust of the Somali Islamist opposition group, Al-Shabab. To do so, WFP will have to be more transparent in handling the funds used for the food aid. This is because questions have been raised about WFP’s credibility and to a certain point that some people accused WFP of corruption. Both of these recommendations are based on a quote made by Leo van der Velden, WFP’s Deputy Country Director, Somalia. He says: “If we are to operate normally and efficiently, we first need peace.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, the failure of an efficient food aid came about when the benefitting country does not co-operate with the organization that is providing the aid. Therefore, trust between the country and the organization is very important even when in the providing of aid.

Shortage of good ideas or excess unlearnt lessons? What really works in international aid?

2010-06-01T21:00:00.002+08:00

Context:
Disaster, retold.

The video begins in Java, Indonesia just after a damaging earthquake rips through the land. The team embarks on a journey to investigate if they can find innovative and effective approaches to deliver aid. In the first scenario, houses have been devastated by the disaster and many are left homeless. It is perceived that 1.5 million people are displaced because of lousy infrastructure and inferior materials used in the construction of their home. While aid pours in, there weren’t many organizations who learnt from the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. With a need for shelter to sleep under and a place to live in over the long run, these villagers are lost because they do not have the capacity to help themselves. As CARE steps in to intervene, they have decided to use innovative civil engineering so that their presence could be eliminated from the disaster zone if it strikes again a decade later. However, it ceases not long after its implementation…

Part 2 then proceeds to feature: Domes for the world!

Originating from America, a village is filled with domes where they reside in. It is innovative and able to withstand the harsh conditions of weather and terrain. However, there are mixed emotions amongst the people. For one, recipients were chosen through lottery, and doubts surface regarding the durability of the land. Sustainable daily living is also questioned, since rearing of cattle is a way of life.

Failure to learn from the past (practice)

When there is a failure to learn lessons from the past, organizations that intervene shortchange themselves from giving appropriate aid to alleviate the situation. By having no resonance of the past, one enters the situation with totally wrong equipments. Hence, they face repeating issues such as lack of sustainable resources to deliver aid, and approach the operation with same mistakes and inefficiencies. This leads to a malfunction in operational practices. It is recommended that those who bring aid get a good grasp of the ‘territory’ they are going into. This would be to identify what work has been done, what has worked or not worked, and the reasons behind them.

Lack of preparation, lack of collaboration (poor organizational structure)

What could lead to failure of aid delivery would be when an organization’s practices fail in to collaborate with effectively with the locals. Instead of improving the situation, CARE’s voucher system was unable to control the standards of quality expected of local markets. Despite good intentions, there was a lack of successful planning and control. In my opinion, I recommend implementing a top-down approach when international development assistance attempts to provide aid. By collaborating with the political and private sector, substantial goods could be monitored on a macro level, while dedicated.established private organized could be nominated to provide the required materials. At this juncture, there is more control and structure in the handling of aid. Simultaneously, this local sector wide approach promotes harmonization, and enables community development to occur from the stakeholders themselves.

Inadequate resources (location)

Another challenge would be the lack of adequate and appropriate resources to re-build houses. This implies proper infrastructure, equipment, and manpower. To make natters worse, the local market does not distribute reliable materials that can deliver desired results. Hence, it can be concluded that the location has disrupted aid delivery. While locals can provide the great form of help with their advantage of knowing their own landscape and people well, it goes the other way when a lack of equipped materials slows effective aid process.

Neglected beneficiaries (practice)

People are also worried about ‘strings attached’ or any matters pertaining to money as they reside in the dome. Villagers are also seemingly stuck in vacuum as there is no mention if they are required to purchase the land they live on in the long run, or whether they are allowed to sell the domes they are living in. This challenge could be due to a lacking practice of aligning each others intentions into common goals that breed accountability and ownership. In the delivery of aid, the narrator mentions that the most innovative suggestions may not be well-received. On that note, I think clear communication channels and constant feedback could be used to address unforeseen concerns that crop up even after the aid goes into the process of delivery.

Absent needs analysis (practice)

From the video, potential failure can happen due to the lack of a proper needs analysis. That implies the omission of knowing the stakeholders’ needs. Even as they reside in their dome houses, their preferences to ‘live at the east instead of near the river’, and ‘receive money instead’ are still present. Upon further evaluation, this could imply that the location where they are is vulnerable to harsh conditions and difficult landscapes for living. One suggestion for this problem could be engaging the stakeholders in decision making or re-building process. As they sit in the same wagon to alleviate the matter, their inputs (effort, experience) are valuable as they have may have seen what have been ‘tried and tested’.

Poor logistics (poor organizational structure)

One failure from poor organization structure is sloppy logistics. While organization may secure a road map for effective aid, a lack in proper delegation of materials stalls aid delivery almost entirely. In an uncertain, unpredictable situation of disaster relief, one solution could be proper documentation and administration of materials acquired/required. If need be, including some measure financial information could help. In doing so, unnecessary overlapping of resources can be prevented, saving time, costs and energy in the long run.

Conclusion

Through this research, I have gathered that context is highly vital when it comes to international aid delivery. This ‘context’ would mean everything ranging from the analysis of tangible needs, communication with the locals for a better understanding, and appropriate knowledge of culture/motivation to peg the best aid solution with the problem. When one decides to take up the noble task of delivering help, being readily available, prepared, and equipped is mandatory. Or else, like how a villager thought dome homes were amusing, help with good intentions could be perceived as a farce.

Written by Glory Tan, BZSE Year 3.

chuan yu

2010-06-01T11:28:00.003+08:00

On December 24th, 2004, mother earth let go an earthquake measuring over 9.1 magnitudes in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The earthquake underwater created giant waves called tsunami. Waves grew to a staggering height of more than 10m tall.

The challenge

Aceh, Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the islands of Sumatra suffered one of the worst natural disasters. The tsunamis left many homeless and many were dead and missing. Many aid agencies rush to Aceh’s rescue, World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, Direct Relief International and many other more agencies. The responses were immense and encouraging. Aids were being flown in daily, more and more medical teams were arriving each day. But the concern and challenges on the ground was whether the aid would be reaching those who are in need of it, how can response teams arrive safely into Aceh.

The GAM or Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, a group seeking independence for the Aceh region from the Indonesia government, stood between the aids and the people that have suffered from the tsunami. The battle with the Indonesia government for independence has been ongoing for decades. It was thought that GAM soldiers would not allow aids to be brought in and that they might hijack the aids and use it for themselves. A BBC news report, reported that the Indonesian army has made it a requirement for aid workers to be registered if they were to wish to work outside of Banda Aceh. This is because the Indonesia army could not guarantee the safety of these workers outside of Banda Aceh. Here is a video of a battle between Indonesian security forces and soldiers from GAM

The solution
Both GAM and the Indonesia government realized the bigger picture and that it is more important that the people of Aceh receive it aids. Hence, the Indonesia government and GAM came to a peace agreement. The tsunami stopped a 30 years long war. With the peace agreement, aid workers could work freely and there were no more worries that aids would be hijacked anymore.

The Indonesian government and GAM put aside their differences and realize that the fighting was pointless, since the peace agreement there was no more fighting and Aceh even had its first ever election. Below is a dialogue from the film “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (IMDB, 2008) between Professor Barnhardt and Klaatu, it goes like this

Professor Barnhardt: There must be alternatives. You must have some technology that could solve our problem.
Klaatu: Your problem is not technology. The problem is you. You lack the will to change.
Professor Barnhardt: Then help us change.
Klaatu: I cannot change your nature. You treat the world as you treat each other.
Professor Barnhardt: But every civilization reaches a crisis point eventually.
Klaatu: Most of them don't make it.
Professor Barnhardt: Yours did. How?
Klaatu: Our sun was dying. We had to evolve in order to survive.
Professor Barnhardt: So it was only when your world was threatened with destruction that you became what you are now.
Klaatu: Yes.
Professor Barnhardt: Well that's where we are. You say we're on the brink of destruction and you're right. But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. This is our moment. Don't take it from us; we are close to an answer.
Maybe it true what they writers have wrote. It requires society to reach a point of crisis, and then changes can occur. Put it into situation of the aid agencies, failure and challenges will give the agency more knowledge and experience and help them deal with situations better.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4163517.stm
Chuan yu

Bryan's Blog on International Assistance Development CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion

2010-06-01T10:12:00.010+08:00

On 12 May 2008, an earthquake measured at 7.9 on the Richter scale struck the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu. Many buildings in the area collapsed, burying thousands of people under the rubble. Many of them were children, who were attending school at that time. Many blamed the shoddily built school buildings, which were too flimsy and used cheap construction materials.

Many organizations offered their assistance to the Chinese government. One such organization is the Red Cross Society of China, receiving 887 million yuan in donations. In order to create an effective system of management, a local Disaster Management Centre, the Sichuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (SFPA) and the Poverty Alleviation Bureaus catered to the organizations which brought in aid to Sichuan. Aid was able to reach areas that were on level ground. However, as many bridges and highways collapsed during the quake, many mountainous areas were inaccessible by land transport. Even the air transport was unable to land in the village areas. Another factor was that China was lacking in the public healthcare system, resulting in numerous citizens without insurance to cover medical costs. The hospitals in the Sichuan area also collapsed during the earthquake.

The other problems that the Red Cross Society of China faced were that the roads leading into Sichuan were made inaccessible due to the congested traffic conditions. The disaster areas also lacked many necessities due to the heavy traffic. The Red Cross Society of China received donated goods that had short expiration lives such as food which expired by the time it reached the earthquake victims. As winter was coming, there was a great need to transport clothing and blankets to a great number of people, increasing the burden on the Red Cross Society.

Problems also occurred for the Red Cross Society of China outside the quake zone. Many cases of fraud happened with the suspects cheating people through fundraising using the organization’s name.

The Red Cross can work with the Chinese Army which was mobilized to send in paratroopers and helicopters into the rural villages in the mountainous areas. Through cooperation, they can land in much needed supplies and medical aid to the earthquake victims. The Chinese government can detour traffic that carries more important and easily expired goods to less congested roads. The Red Cross Society can request for financial donations instead which can purchase items in China, making it much more convenient for transaction. The Red Cross Society of China can issue press releases denying any wrongful intentions of using the funds and clarify that the organization does not authorize any individual fundraising. Most importantly, the Red Cross Society of China can partner itself with other organizations that are in the area to effectively divert aid to places that require the most attention.

Sichuan Earthquake 2008

Sources:
http://www.redcross.org.cn/ywzd/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/china-earthquake
http://gracefulyouth.org/sichuanearthquake.php

Sinyee

2010-06-01T10:07:00.002+08:00

ASEAN- The East Timor Crisis

The most difficult challenge to ASEAN’s modalities was the tragic events in East Timor in 1999. ASEAN, and even the ARF, came under severe criticisms for their inability to stem the violence and gross violations of human rights that followed. As noted in many accounts, ASEAN could not initiate any form of conflict preventive action to stop the atrocities that occurred in many parts of the country soon after the East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia (Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, Inc., 2002, para.22). It was not until the United Nations organized a peacekeeping mission under the framework of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) that violence was controlled and large-scale humanitarian relief operations could be carried out (Martin, 2001).

Violence started to erupt through large parts in East Timor after Indonesia’s decision on 30 August 1999 to allow the province to have a referendum on its future status – either to become an autonomous province or independent state (Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, 1999, p. 4). During this period, the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) was established to help prepare East Timor for the referendum. UNAMET comprised 241 international staff, 420 UN volunteers, up to 280 civilian police, and some 4,000 local staff. Within ASEAN, the Philippines contributed to UNAMET by sending civilian police, staff members, and electoral volunteers (Martin, 2001).

In spite the presence of UNAMET, violence escalated and spread throughout East Timor leading to the declaration of martial law on 7 September (Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, 1999). By then, East Timor lost human lives, suffered massive property destruction, while thousands of terrified people were also forcibly displaced to West Timor.

Many governments, either individually or collectively through the UN, urged Indonesia to enforce law and order in East Timor. While there were indeed expressions of concerns coming from ASEAN countries, it took the Australian initiative to offer its troops for a UN peacekeeping force before any international action could begin to stop the violence in East Timor (Dupont, 2000, p. 163 - 170). Even then, it was not until Indonesia consented to an international peacekeeping force in East Timor that ASEAN officials began to discuss their countries’ possible participation in the UN peacekeeping force. Incidentally, discussions took place at the sidelines of APEC Summit in Auckland and prior to that, no ad hoc ASEAN meeting was convened to address what was at that time a spiralling humanitarian crisis in the region (Dupont, 2000,).

The East Timor crisis was viewed by many as a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen and which ASEAN, conscious of its policy of non-intervention, did not do anything to prevent. Although some ASEAN members participated in the INTERFET, its contributions were lost in the barrage of criticisms against the extent to which ASEAN went to “intervene” in what was considered by the organization as an intra-state conflict (Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, 1999). Criticisms were even more strident of the ARF which was silent throughout the crisis. Once again, ASEAN inability to respond to the crisis in East Timor was seen as a litmus test of its inadequacy as a regional institution to act in time of crisis or to prevent crisis from happening.
Recommendations

ASEAN’s lack of capacity to address domestic and regional conflicts was highlighted as a major weakness. In East Timor, ASEAN fell short of what was expected from it, especially during the initial stage of the conflict. It could consider working in any of the following areas:

1. exchange of ideas, information, and other resources with relevant actors/parties,
2. consideration and adoption of early warning tools and mechanisms,
3. establishment of regional mechanisms for peace-building, and
4. institutionalization of regular consultations among ASEAN, the ARF Chair, and the UN Secretary-General.

I proposed that one of the ways to assess its role, as a conflict manager in Southeast Asia, ASEAN has to examine the nature of its mechanisms in managing conflict. Bearing in mind that the mechanisms in this context refers to a broad range of processes, methods, devices, techniques, and strategies employed to resolve or manage conflict, it is important for ASEAN to adopt the constructivist approach on identifying what these mechanisms are in the context of Southeast Asia. Constructivism proved to be a useful framework in explaining the lack or absence of concrete, formal mechanisms in ASEAN since the approach goes beyond the consideration of power and material interest and sensitizes us to the salience of ideational factors, to actors and agents that shape these ideas beyond the state and the intersubjective understanding that take place.

For the association to succeed and in the interest of regional security, its mechanisms must be geared towards engendering a sense community through shared norms and identity – regardless of incremental nature of its results. Even at that time, the importance of process-oriented approaches to regional security was underscored.

The ASEAN way could be extended and transformed into a wider regional process of promoting co-operative security practices, albeit at its most basic, to main regional stability. ASEAN also needs to muster the political will in order to play a larger role in regional peace-building activities. It should be more active in on-going peace-building activities, such as the present negotiations on a Regional Code of Conduct on the South China Sea between ASEAN and China, as well as its role in Cambodia, East Timor, and Myanmar.

References

Dupont. A. (2000), ASEAN's Response to the East Timor Crisis: Australian Journal of International Affairs, Routledge, Australia.

Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. (1999), The East Timor Crisis and Its Consequences. Retrieved 27 May, 2010 from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1344/MR1344.ch3.pdf

Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, Inc. (2002), Narrative Report on the Seminar on Conflict Prevention and Peace-building in Southeast Asia: Regional Mechanisms, Best Practices and ASEAN-UN Cooperation in the 21st Century. Retrieved 27 May, 2010 from http://www.aseansec.org/un_manila.htm

Martin, I. (2001), Self-Determination in East Timor, International Peace Academy Occasional Paper Series, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.: Boulder, CO.

Cynthia: International Assistance Challenges and Recommended Solutions

2010-06-01T09:49:00.002+08:00

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti early this year and delivering aid was a challenge to many aid organizations such as USAID, the largest contributor to the relief. Accessibility to the capital (Port-au-Prince) was a major problem as many possible ways were disrupted during the earthquakes. The airport was too small and it is hard to go back to its usual operations with only one runway. Aid assistance is difficult to be delivered as there are only limited spaces for cargos to reach every day. The staff working in the airport were also affected by the earthquake. Either they were the victims or their families are. Fuels for aircraft were lacking and no planes could fly. In addition, another route to Haiti, the main seaport was badly damaged during the earthquake. It was unable to function properly and aid ships could not offload their supplies at the dock. It was expected that the port can only accept vessels in 60 to 90 days even though some aid ships managed to dock. There were no stationary cranes to unload the containers as it is all damaged. Although the U.S managed to take over the airport and seaports, aids are already delayed. The seaport was a major destruction and took a long time to resume. Roads were also blocked with debris and distribution becomes another problem even if supplies can reach the capital. Prior to that, communication was down in the form of telecommunications and internet etc. Communication with other countries with respect to access route details and needs were difficult. Everything was slowed down. Medical personnel will also have problem accessing to the site to treat the victims. With that, more people will die as time pass.

In this context, accessibility was a major problem in delivering aid. Therefore, to avoid such circumstances from happening, there should be contingency plan. Aid supplies can be stored within the country itself so that when disasters happen, they can be mobilised faster. Especially when Haiti is prone to natural disasters, contingency plan is even more essential. Basic needs like food, water can be stored for use for the first few days of disaster before international aid arrive. Also, the Haitians should be equipped with skills like basic first-aid so that at times of crisis; the survivors can save themselves and the community before waiting for help to arrive. Disaster-response training should also be carried out to more staff in Haiti so that aid personnel do not have to fly in from other countries. With that, the remove of debris and corpses can be more efficient; reducing the number of days that the roads are blocked in the capital. Communication problems are difficult to tackle. The systems have to take time to recover. They should have more up-to-date communication systems so that the recovery will not take too long. The Dominican Republic, nearest to Haiti should also prepare themselves for future events like this. They are the ones who can react the fastest and get to Haiti the fastest too.

Damaged seaport

Resources
http://www.america.gov/st/develop-english/2010/January/20100118195003SJrrO0.7821314.html&distid=ucs
http://www.military.com/news/article/why-so-long-for-us-aid-to-reach-haiti.html
http://edition.cnn.com/video/world/2010/01/15/candiotti.haiti.port.damage.cnn.640x360.jpg
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575003113665676170.html

CHERYL'S POST ON USAID

2010-06-01T09:34:00.009+08:00

International Assistance Challenges and Recommended Solutions.

An example of challenges or failures in international aid delivery due to poor organisational structure or practices is USAID.

USAID had funded over USD35 billion for Iraq’s reconstruction efforts, but statistics were lost somewhere. The organisation has no idea of the total number of contractors hired (when it pays them) but it is able to supply Employment Data for status reports weekly. In Bangladesh, US collect more from tariffs than the amount it gives as aid which contradicts its purpose for helping. Another problem in practice is that US aid towards helping the justice system in Haiti is not effective because it does not reach the masses. The institutions set up, like the civilian-controlled police force and legal sectors, are unable to reach the bulk of the population because they use French instead of Haitian Creole, the language which the majority uses.

A possible cause could be of having too many layers of bureaucracy and thus inefficiency or ineffectiveness in delivering relevant aid to countries in need. Closing down the internal Policy and Programs Coordination Bureau and replacing it with a State Department entity meant that employees have more paperwork to do and focus less on what they were supposed to do. The purpose of bringing USAID into the state department was to ensure that the work of USAID would not interfere with foreign policy; however USAID itself was for foreign policy. It builds good relations and offers assistance to countries.

"To serve as the U.S. government’s primary instrument for human advancement in promoting security and reducing poverty in the developing world—by catalyzing the full range of America’s public and private capabilities and resources, and linking those resources effectively with the governments and people we serve, through world-class, on-the-ground presence."

The mission of USAID was also unclear. Its traditional mission was to build long-term development in countries by providing resources for the countries to strengthen themselves. President Obama said in a speech that the mission of USAID was to “advance America's interests by strengthening our relationships abroad”. With two purposes, international aid delivery might clash against one of their mission and in turn cause some lag in helping the country they wanted to help.

With the Obama administration, a new USAID administrator was elected and it might be a little too late to request a total makeover of the US foreign aid system. Nevertheless, the management could solve problems and foresee potential problems. Places to look into include merging some hierarchical levels as lower and flatter hierarchies perform more efficiently and effectively. It would also be easier to keep track of expenditure so that there would be no loss and funds can be channelled towards more beneficiaries.

Rajiv Shah: USAID administrator

Staff morale has also decreased with the many internal problems and heavy workloads. Perhaps by rotating staff on trips overseas to “aid research and development” trips, it would be an incentive for them to work harder and also personally meet the people whom would be helped.

link 1
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Done by Cheryl

Sheryl's Post

2010-06-01T00:28:00.003+08:00

The organization that I will be discussing about that has faced an international development assistance challenge due to poor organizational practice is the USAID.

A brief introduction
USAID is the acronym for United States Agency for International Development. It is an organization that is based in the United States that aims to provide a helping hand internationally to countries who are recovering from disasters, struggling to live a better life or countries who are striving to live in a free and democratic nation. (usaid.gov)

U.S foreign aid dates back to nearly 40 years of assistance in different areas like agriculture, economic planning and food assistance. It is the main areas of U.S foreign aid and also the forms of aid that has led to many problems.

U.S Foreign Aid Program: Food for Peace. Failure? Success?

There has been a controversy that although the United States is a country with bountiful resources, instead of pooling its resource together for a better use, it has been said that the USAID overly focuses on the aid it is providing and does not take into interest its implications that is caused by it.

One valid example is the foreign aid program, Food for Peace.

The foreign aid program, Food for Peace was first created in 1954. The U.S wanted to make use of the fertile lands in their country to produce food for the hungry families for all the countries that they were providing aid to. Statistics note that approximately 3 billion people in 150 countries have benefited from this program. It garners the effort of farmers, businessmen, grain elevator operators, truckers, bargemen, freight forwarders, port operations, private voluntary organizations and government officials.

Indeed, the program has been reported to be successful in achieving its aims of feeding the hungry families almost half a world away from the U.S. However, the flipside to this program was that along its way, it has neglected whether the food aid that is provided to the different countries have been put into efficient use.

The main failure in the initial stages of this program in my opinion was due to the poor organization structure and practice. USAID had focused very much on producing crops (food) in order to provide food aid to the hungry families in its beneficiary countries. It constantly provided food aid to the countries causing the agriculture in the country to stop producing. For example, in Haiti, U.S free food is widely sold illegally in the country’s markets next to the Haitian farmers’ own crops. Governments often accept U.S. free food at the same time that they are repressing their own farmers, refusing to pay them what their crops are worth. (http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa065.html) Also, the food aid that is provided by the Food for Peace program for school-food or health programs for mothers and children has also been ineffective. In my opinion, the main problem that USAID has failed to address is the lack of follow-up with the beneficiary country after providing aid to them. Thus, the beneficiary countries tend to misuse the aids that are provided to them and also disregard the policies that USAID has set due to the lack of information. The target beneficiaries of USAID are also too large a scale that it is difficult for the organization to concentrate on the development of each country after providing aid to them.

Recommended solutions

Next, I would discuss some of the solutions that could be suitable for USAID to adopt to improve its foreign aid programs.

Firstly, and the most important and immediate solution to the above mentioned scenario is that USAID should allocate manpower to each country that receives their aid to ensure the appropriate use of the food aid that is provided. The staff that is allocated to the country should be responsible of carrying out the policies set by the USAID as well as to educate the people the actual purpose of the Food for Peace foreign aid program. It is of utmost importance that the staff from USAID conducts this follow-up action instead of only providing assistance to the country on the surface without ensuring that the form of aid provided would sustain the growth of the country and its people.

Secondly, the organization’s focus is too diverse. It is definitely a good thing that the organization focuses on different areas of development for the third world countries. However with a diverse focus, it is harder for the organization to ensure that the foreign aid provided to the countries are exactly what they need. Hence, it is always important that a needs assessment is to be conducted before the organization conducts a foreign aid program in the area.

Word count: 807

Sources
Bovard, J. (n.d.) The Continuing Failure of Foreign Aid. Retrieved on May 31, 2010 from http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa065.html
USAID: About USAID. (n.d.) Retrieved on May 31, 2010 from http://www.usaid.gov/about_usaid/

Sheena's International Development assistance challenge or failure due to exclusion.

2010-06-01T00:05:00.001+08:00

Cyclone Nargis hit Burma (Myanmar) on 2^nd of May 2008. Recorded as the worst disaster in the history of Burma, it caused a death toll of at least 23,000 people and 1,000 people missing. The damage done by the cyclone was intensified. Adding onto the mortality rate, the other major damages caused includes ‘95% of the houses and other buildings in seven townships were destroyed’ (Fox News, 2008, para. 9) and ‘rice yields are down by about 40 percent as compared to pre-Nargis levels’ (Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2010, para. 7) due to the flooded rice fields on the outskirts of Yangoon, Myanmar. Without proper shelter and agricultural activities, which would equate to a source of food destroyed, their livelihoods are greatly affected.

Broken homes and flooded rice fields on the outskirts of Myanmar.

In an attempt to provide aid to the people affected in Myanmar, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was fast to provide a total of $251,000 worth of emergency food, water and sanitation, and shelter assistance. Also, four ships filled with aid from the USAID, nine helicopters filled with aid from the United Nations’ World Food Program was prepared to reach the survivors in remote areas which were inaccessible to roads. However, all these forms of aid never managed to reach the cyclone survivors.

Challenges:

The Myanmese government refused to accept the aid provided of any sort. The four ships which were filled with aid supplies, were ‘anchored off the coast of Burma for a month’ and were forced to sail off due to the ‘repeated rejection of help from the military junta’. (Times Online, 2008, para. 1)) Adding on, out of the nine helicopters that were prepared to take off any moment, only one was allowed entry into Myanmar, after being prepared for eight days. ‘The humanitarian agencies cannot go in without the permission of the government’ (Linn. Z, 2008, para.1).With all the strict requirements and minimal aid that the Myanmar government has established, it is a challenge for organizations to ensure that the aid reaches the cyclone survivors. The uncooperative military government of Myanmar, has imposed a form of exclusion on itself. This posed as one of the greatest challenges, hindering international organizations from stepping in to provide aid to the many cyclone survivors in the most effective and efficient manner.

Reason: Myanmese Government, the Junta

Myanmar has been ruled by the military government, the junta since 1962 and they have had a hold over their citizens ever since. Governing the country with fear, freedom of movement is very much restricted and limited. The Myanmese are ‘forced to register under ‘immigration officials’ when they travel from one town to another and ‘everybody in Myanmar is under arrest, although some are under more arrest than others’. (Reuters, 2007, para. 17)

With a stronghold on its people, The Myanmar government is very adamant about preventing any anti-government sentiments and has thus rejected foreign aid. The government’s reluctance to allow international aid into their nation is in an attempt to form the minimal or zilch amount of contact that the Myanmese have with the outside world. It is feared that the military government’s powers of influence over its people would decrease, and its ways will be forced to change when outsiders step into Myanmar. Thus , the Myanmese Government is ‘more concerned with control and maintaining omniscience in front of their people than saving lives.’ (Jenkins. G & Berger. S, 2008, para. 19)

Recommendations:

With the Myanmese government valuing their power and authority over their people, I feel that USAID and other international organizations that are really sincere in providing aid to the cyclone survivors should adjust the way they provide aid. USAID can choose the option of providing tied aid to Myanmar. On one hand, Myanmar will promise to increase trade with the United States of America. On the other hand, while USAID provides supplies of any form of aid, it is allowed to go through the hands of the Junta, before reaching the cyclone survivors Through this, the Junta will be seen as the government that cares for its people, shedding some positive light on the government.

However, two crucial procedures should be implemented if this form of recommendation is to be used. Firstly, USAID should request a list of the breakdown of the supplies that managed to reach the cyclone survivors. Also, as the aid supplies are going through the hands of the junta, it is feared that the time delay would cause the aid supplies to be inefficient by the time it reached the cyclone survivor as certain forms of aid are only efficient within a certain time span. (Example: Food that have a limited shelf life and is crucial for the survivors for the cyclone victims from the 1^st to 3^rd day of the aftermath) Thus, there should be a time quota in which the aid supplies have to reach the cyclone survivors latest by.

References:

Fox News. (2008). Cyclone Nargis had all the makings of a ‘perfect storm’. Retrieved May 31, 2010, from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354670,00.html

Thomson Reuters Foundation. (2010). Myanmar Cyclone. In Asis, Crisis Briefing. Retrieved May 31, 2010, from http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/MM_STO.htm

Times Online. (2008). Rejected by junta, US aid ships sail from Burma. Retrieved May 31, 2010 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article4064609.ece

Linn. Z. (2008). Burma’s Military Too Slow to React to International Aid after Cyclone Nargis. Retrieved June 01, 2010 from http://www.asiantribune.com/node/10953

Reuters. (2007). Burmese junta keep Myanmar’s Shan in state of fear. Retrieved June 01, 2010 from http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKBKK7619320070828

Jenkins,G and Berger. S. (2008) UN launches appela as Burma refuses aid. Retrieved June 01, 2010 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/1942422/Myanmar-cyclone-UN-launches-appeal-as-Burma-refuses-aid.html

(812 words)

Alison's Post

2010-05-31T23:56:00.005+08:00

International development assistance: Red Cross –Haiti

Challenges in international aid delivery due to location

In January this year, a magnitude of 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, leaving more than hundreds of thousands of people killed, injured and homeless.

There are 3 main factors pertaining to the challenges in delivering international aid to Haiti that impede the relief work of Red Cross. These factors centre on the damaged infrastructures which in turn, hinders the effectiveness of aid resources due to slow delivery.

The first factor: Airport and Seaport

Despite having all the necessary resources brought in to Haiti, the aid was unable to reach the victims due to the damaged seaport and airport in Port-au-Prince. Hence, even if Haiti has all the aid they need, they will not be able to offload the supplies as a result of the damaged seaport lifting gear. Furthermore, there were severe limitations affecting the aid delivery as the airport was not functioning as per normal with a lack of ground light signals, damaged runways and the destruction of the air control tower.

Adding on to these challenges is the fact that the international airport in Haiti is relatively small where it can only allow for 9 or 10 planes at a time. Notwithstanding the amount of time taken for planes to disembark, offload and take off again, the paper works, refuelling and clearance take up extra time and result in the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the distribution of aid.

Second factor: Communication

The second challenge pertains to the breakdown of telecommunications in Port-au-Prince in terms of landline and cell phone networks. With this disruption, it brings about uncertainties and difficulties in communicating alternative access routes to Red Cross and can consequently delay the relief aid to victims. What is more frustrating and problematic is the coordination of resources with a myriad of stakeholders such as government bodies, transportation companies, and disaster relief organisations to orchestrate a rescue and recovery mission.

Third factor: Roads

Most of the roads inside Port-au-Prince have been damaged and blocked with debris, as unless those rubbles are cleared, there will be a limited number of access roads to drive on. On top of this, most of the vehicles and trucks are damaged in the earthquake which consequently means that there are an inadequate number of transport vehicles to distribute aid to the city. Because of these issues, it is no wonder that some victims have taken to protest because of the delay in international aid.

As seen from these factors, these circumstances pose challenges in delivering international aid by the Red Cross because of the conditions of the aftermath earthquake in Haiti.

Recommendations to solve the challenges

In the initial stage, Red Cross could have collaborated with Haiti’s neighbouring country, the Dominican Republic, for the use of its seaports and international airports as it wasn’t damaged in the earthquake. Besides these, one other long-term solution Red Cross can provide to Haiti is the resources and manpower they need to rebuild a bigger international airport that can allow for more than 10 airplanes at a single time. This would ensure a larger capacity of aid resources delivered to the affected sites. I believe that this would provide a platform to better effectively deliver relief aid.

It also has to partner with other organisations to build temporal infrastructure such as roads to offload supplies to affected places. In addition, they also have to ensure that debris and rubbles are cleared off such that they will not hinder the delivering process. However in the long run, adequate resources could be provided to Haiti for rebuilding an maintenance of roads.

As for the communication aspect, despite the fact that telecommunication lines were severed, Haiti still had access to the internet. This means that Red Cross could use it to inform and update the outside world or any relief organisations about the extent of damage in Haiti and the kind of aid they need.

To this end, the Red Cross will continue to render its assistance and maximized its support to Haiti.

Nuristianah's International Assistance Challenges and Recommended Solutions assignment

2010-05-31T19:38:00.002+08:00

Hotel Rwanda is a movie about a gruesome yet true story which occurred in Rwanda; the infamous genocide killing 800,000 Rwandans in a span of 100 days. (news, 2008) Most of the victims massacred were the Tutsis, the minority of the Hutu dominated country. The conflict between the 2 ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis is not something new. The tension between these 2 groups grew during the colonial period. Rwanda was colonised by Belgium and the Belgians considered Tutsis to be superior to Hutus. For the next 20 year, the Tutsis got better opportunities compared to the Hutus. The tension and hatred the Hutus had for Tutsis built up and it resulted in a series or riots along the years.

The genocide was sparked by the death of the Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down above Kigali airport on 6 April 1994. The killing of the Hutu president was a final straw. For months, there had been tension between the 2 ethnic groups. Within hours of President Juvenal Habyarimana’s death, recruits were dispatched all over the country to carry out a wave of slaughter. This genocide could have been prevented, but many reasons resulted in the reason why 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered.

The United Nations assistance mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) was the United Nation’s peacekeeping troop. During the time of the Genocide, the UNAMIR was at the location. (Nations, 2004)However, several conditions led to the failure of the United Nations to prevent the genocide.

Firstly, when the west heard about the government-sanctioned murders from Rwanda, they were occupied with the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As Yugoslavia was closer to the Europeans than Rwanda was, they felt it was much more beneficial helping to resolve the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also, the UNAMIR did not have enough resources to prevent the genocide. There were not enough troops to rally against the strong forces of the Rwandans.

Secondly, although there were warnings given out for a possible massacre, nothing much was done to prevent it. United Nations raised awareness in key member states when the massacre started, but the Security Council voted to decrease the size of UNAMIR instead of increasing the size to help fight against the innocent and perhaps prevent more people from being killed. The size of UNAMIR troops was decreased from 2000 to 270. This happened because countries withdrew when there were casualties.

Lastly and perhaps the most important point was because America will not tolerate casualties and will retreat if American / UNOSOM soldiers are killed. (Chowning, 2009) America is not ready to have their troops killed by preventing the genocide in Africa. When Belgium troops were killed in their makeshift refugee camps, Belgium decides to pull out its troops. Not wanting another déjà vu, America too decides to pull out its troops.

In a nutshell, this proves how inefficient the structure of the United Nations is. They rely too much on the troops from different countries and they also rely too much on the opinions of the key members’ states that they deserted the people whom needed help the most – The Tutsis. Every government is only interested in saving its own people and not the Tutsis. United States officials fear the word ‘genocide’ and they refuse to accept the word ‘genocide’ when United Nations brought it up. They fear that it would encourage Council members to act, under the 1948 UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. (Harsch, 2004) Also, through votes, the Security Council decided to withdraw troops. This is unfair as these votes are made up of opinions of people whom think of what’s best for them, but not what’s best for the situation. Also, the United Nations was not fast enough to act when it was warned about the Genocide. Its peace keeping efforts fell through and it did not have enough troops to be sent or act in the situation.

Recommendations that I suggest to prevent another Rwanda Genocide is to recognise the problem early. The conflicts between the 2 ethnic groups have been going on for years. This is an early signal to prevent any wars alike from happening. During the massacre, United Nations was warned of a possible massacre, but did little to stop it from happening. To prevent another massacre from possibly happening, they could have recognised this problem when it was mentioned and tried to resolve it.

Secondly, the United Nations should make faster decisions when a problem this big is happening or has happened. They should be fast enough to stop the genocide from happening when they were warned of it and stop it when it has happened, not by going through layers of meeting and votes and only decide on a resolve once the genocide has happened and lives are lost.

Third, they should have a ready force of troops at all times. The UNAMIR had insufficient troops when the genocide broke out, that was one of the reasons why it failed to prevent it. Other than UNAMIR, contingency troops from countries should be readily available and activated automatically when situations like this occur.

Lastly, they should also ensure that those guilty of murder should be punished by the law. The murderers whom killed thousands of innocent Tutsis should not be left scot-free. They should be dealt with fairly by the law as a form of punishment, so that many will see the degree of solemnity committing genocide is and possibly prevent others from doing it in the future.

Works Cited

Chowning, K. (2009, September 1). Genocide in Rwanda: The International Community Failed to Act. Retrieved May 30, 2010, from www.associatedcontent.com: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/968978/genocide_in_rwanda_the_international_pg2.html?cat=9

Harsch, E. (2004, July). UN seeking to avert a 'new Rwanda'. Retrieved May 30, 2010, from www.un.org: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol18no2/182genocide.htm

Nations, U. (2004, April 7). Genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved May 30, 2010, from www.un.org: http://www.un.org/events/rwanda/backgrounder.html

news, B. (2008, December 18). Rwanda: How the genocide happened. Retrieved May 30, 2010, from news.bbc.co.uk: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1288230.stm

Justine's International development assistance challenge or failure

2010-05-31T15:06:00.003+08:00

The topic I chose: International development assistance CHALLENGE or FAILURE due to location or exclusion.

Which is worse the natural disaster or greed?

In 2008, the last week of April, probably one of the worst natural disaster that ever hit Asia and Burma (also known as Myanmar), is the Cyclone Nargis. The cyclone was so devastating, so much so that it took more than 138, 000 lives, many more are believed to have died from the aftermath of landslides. The damages incurred also went up to a whooping US $10.1 billion. The United Nations (in short, UN) was one of the first in the scenes to provide aid and assistance to the victims of the cyclone.

The UNICEF World Food Program, that was developed to provide the basic necessity of food to people who are living in hunger and the threat of starvation was quick to respond. They raise a significant amount of money, with partners such as USAID giving them US $251, 000 to get supplies of food aid for the victims of the cyclone. Sadly, these supplies of food aid face many obstacles to reach the people. As the Junta, the military government of Burma refused to receive assistance from the international organizations.

Which is worse the natural disaster or greed?

If you watch the video above, you would understand better. The Junta stopped and confiscated many of this food aid from reaching the people. Many other international doctors, nurses and disaster relief workers were turned away too, as they were not given access and visa to help the people. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon requested to speak to the Junta directly in hopes to turn the situation around, but he was ignored and failed to do so. It is not until many days later that the Burmese Junta agreed to take money, food, medical supplies from the international organizations, but the catch is they want to handle, and distribute it themselves.

Here is a perfect example of challenges faced by the International organizations, due to the bad location of relief assistance. Instead of allowing aid to reach the people immediately the government was more concern about their pride and cease to meet the needs of their people. They were more into “what can I get out of this?” rather than “what can I give in this disaster?” Hence the people are the ones who suffered most, in the span of those days, many could have been saved.

I believe the real issue here that caused this situation is Pride and Greed. The only reason why the Junta would only take the money, food, medical supplies, and not let the international organizations distribute it themselves is because they are most probably using it for their own benefit. In truth there is no transparency of how the money was going to be used by the Junta, and how many people they really help they just show their general in one relief centre giving out a few boxes of the food aid (probably the ones from the UNICEF, WFP). This is sad but true, the location where assistance efforts are made is very important, as there are many corruption and greed all around. Sometimes, these aids never really reach the people, but the hands of corrupt officials. I dare not say that Juntas are corrupt, but why no transparency?

The exclusion of letting international relief workers into to disaster zone, by not giving them visa is also a sensitive issue. The expertise and help they could provide was dire and could have better assist the victims, as they have the experience and professionalism in this field.

I would have recommended that instead of just giving out these money and aid, there could have been more negotiations, of how they could have a more collaborative approach to aid the disaster together. Yes, the Junta had the power to confiscate the food aid. But the money (which the Junta requested for) is still in the hands of the international organizations. Instead of just giving them the handouts, they could have withheld it and use it as a carrot and stick approach. They could also have an agreement of transparency of how the money will be used, before they gave it to them.

In this way, I believe the people of Burma would have been better helped.

If you watch the video above, you would understand better. The Junta stopped and confiscated many of this food aid from reaching the people. Many other international doctors, nurses and disaster relief workers were turned away too, as they were not given access and visa to help the people. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon requested to speak to the Junta directly in hopes to turn the situation around, but he was ignored and failed to do so. It is not until many days later that the Burmese Junta agreed to take money, food, medical suppliers from the international organizations, but the catch is they want to handle, and distribute it themselves.

In this way, I believe the people of Burma would have been better helped.

702 words

Done by: Justine Lee

INTSYS Assignment Links

2010-05-21T14:52:00.003+08:00

INTSYS E LEARNING ASSIGNMENT 2

Collaborative Approaches
Due 21st May, 1pm

Individual links:

Kay Yong Bryan Sheryl Amanda Istianah Cheryl Sin Yee Sheena Cynthia Chuan Yu Adeline Justine Julinda Marcus Shaun Glory Bernice Juo Wi Melissa Alison Zhi Qiang Chengxi

INTSYS e-Learning Blog

2010-05-21T14:05:00.001+08:00

According to the United Nations (as cited in (UNGEI, 2006), over 60% of the 130 million children in developing countries, who are not in school, are girls. The low enrolment rates of girls in school are one of the consequences of girls being maltreated in those countries. Indeed, research studies conducted by ActionAid has revealed “…that the violence that girls encounter in and on the way to school constitutes a major barrier to their rights to and in education.” (ActionAid International, 2006).

In addition, it has also been discovered that violence not only negatively influences girls’ educational achievements in school but also is inversely correlated to girls’ vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases (ActionAid International, 2006).

Hence, ActionAid initiated the project called “Stop Violence Against Girls in School (VAGS)” in July 1 2008 in Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique to address the issues that prevents girls in those areas from receiving basic education. However, ActionAid does not work alone. It collaborates with research organizations which are responsible in regularly collecting data that would be used in measuring how well the project is progressing towards their targeted objectives and goals, as well as, the Governments to develop frameworks by which to address and, respond to cases of violence against girls.

Further, ActionAid also works with the communities in the countries the project operates in, to put forth several community-level initiatives such as involving local community leaders, teachers’ union and the media in their advocacy campaigns.

I personally feel that ActionAid has done well in terms of, taking the top down (in working with the governments) and also grassroots level (educating and advocacy to the public at the grassroots level) approach to addressing the issue of violence against girls in those countries. As I feel that the issue in those countries is not solely the “fault” of the government but also the cultural and societal beliefs and, attitudes towards girls. Hence, it is apt that ActionAid engages both types of approaches (top-down and bottom-up) in their project.

However, I feel that ActionAid could have done better to include programs in the project to provide help to girls in those countries who has already been abused, such as counseling or re-integration programs, and suffering from possible traumas and lost self-esteem. This is because of my personal opinion that it is not enough to merely provide a more encouraging environment for schooling for girls; to raise awareness through advocacy and campaigns; and working with the Governments but also addressing the issue by similarly placing more direct efforts in helping those closes to the issue, the girls.

References

ActionAid International. (2006). Stop violence against girls in school. Retrieved May 21, 2010, from ActionAid: http://www.actionaid.org/

UNGEI. (2006, May 4). ActionAid: Violence undermining girls' education by forcing them out of school. Retrieved May 21, 2010, from United Nations girls' education initiative: http://www.ungei.org/news/index_700.html

By Chew Zhi Qiang

S10063045D

Alison's Post

2010-05-21T13:36:00.002+08:00

COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES

This report summarizes the collaborative approach in Zimbabwe.

Location: Zimbabwe

Organizations involved:

UN AGENCY

UNDP

UNDP Country Office & UNDP SURF

UNICEF,UNFPA,UNIFEM,ILO,FAO,UNIDO,WORLD,BANK,IMF

UNESCO, UNICEF

UNIFEM, WHO

WHO, UNFPA, UNFPA CST, UNICEF

UNAIDS, WHO

UNDP

UNDP, UNDP/SURF, WORLD BANK, IMF

UNIC & UNDP

Development progress and challenges (during the post independence period):

A. Growth with equity (between1980 and 1990)

During the 1980s, Zimbabwe had a “dual economy” with a rather developed and modernized sector coupled with a relatively “poor rural sector” that accommodate approximately 80% of the total population. As such, elimination of poverty was the top priority at that period of time. In order to “revamp the economy”, the government “adopted the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) in 1991”.

B. Economic reforms (between 1990 and 1999)

B. Especially in the 1990s, due to the persisting and rising structural problems and poverty, Zimbabwe’s economy slumped to the lowest thereby worsening its vulnerability. There are various causes that resulted in its “negative downturn”. They include “droughts and floods as well as the non-realization of the growth objectives” of the ESAP.

In addition, many companies collapsed and reduced their operations because of “stiff competition in the opened up economy” which in turn, caused the economy to shrink. Due to these factors, there were great increase in unemployment, inflation, destitution, shortage and scarcity of resources for its population.

C. Complex Socio-Economic Crisis (between 2000 and 2007)

During this period, there had been severe macroeconomic instability which led to hyperinflation. Its inflation rate was estimated at 7982 in 2007 while the “structural unemployment” was anticipated to be 63% in 2003. Besides, poverty was raging high with the “proportion of people below the Food Poverty Line (FPL)” increased by 102% from 29% to 58%. Furthermore, the Human Poverty Index (HPI) measured an increase of 9% up from 24% in 1995 to 33% in 2003.

D. Society issues (mortality rates and HIV/AIDs)

Progress in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Albeit poverty is still prevalent in Zimbabwe, the economic system is estimated to develop and grow in 2010.

MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education
Since 2006, approximately 88% of children have been enrolled into a primary education.

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
In this area, there are almost an equal number of male and female students attending school. Hence, for those between the ages of 15 and 24, the literacy rate is relatively high and generally almost 98% “the same for both sexes”.

MDG 4: Reduce child mortality

From the nutritional statistic status, it is projected that 17% of those who are below the age of 5 are underweight and that for every 12 children of that age, one of them will die. Also, out of these children, about 40% will die in the first few months of life.

MDG 5: Improve maternal health
It is noted that for this section on health, the indicators and progress of this MDG has gone off track.

MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Looking at its statistics, Zimbabwe is well on its way to achieve the target to combat HIV/AIDS and the like. This could be attributed to the change in patterns pertaining to sexual behaviors. However, the number of AIDS-related deaths still remain as high as 1200 per week. It is also noted that Zimbabwe has one of the “highest rate of orphans in world” where one in every four children would have lost either of their parents to AIDS.

International organizations and stakeholders (roles):

UN AGENCY	THEMATIC GROUP AND GOALS
UNDP	Overall backstopping of the MDG process
UNDP Country Office & UNDP SURF	All thematic groups (Goal 1-8)
UNICEF,UNFPA,UNIFEM,ILO,FAO,UNIDO,WORLD,BANK,IMF	Social development and Agriculture (Goal 1)
UNESCO, UNICEF	Education(Goal 2)
UNIFEM, WHO	Gender(Goal 3)
WHO, UNFPA, UNFPA CST, UNICEF	Health(Goal 4 &5)
UNAIDS, WHO	HIV/AIDS(Goal 6)
UNDP	Environment(Goal 7)
UNDP, UNDP/SURF, WORLD BANK, IMF	Global Partnerships (Goal 8)
UNIC & UNDP	MDG Advocacy campaign preparation

Discuss what has worked well and what has not:

As seen from the above MDGs targets and the respective roles held by the international organizations, we could do a comparison between them and conclude whether their approach for the MDGs is effective, efficient or sustainable.

Looking at Goals 2 and 3, it would be relatively safe to infer that UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIFEM and WHO have done a good job as they have brought about more enrollments of children into primary education as well as campaigned for gender equality in terms of literacy in schools.

On the contrary, Goals 4 and 5 have somehow gone off track with child mortality and maternal health issues not addressed adequately.

Suggestions/recommendations:

According to the Paris Declaration Statement, the partners are committed to making progress for building institutions and establishing governance structures that deliver effective governance, public safety, security, and equitable access to basic social services for their citizens. The suggestions listed below are in response to the “Equitable access to basic social services”.

A. Reformation in terms of water and agricultural

In Zimbabwe, one of the main factors is this area concerns the access to the supply of water. The most effective and sustainable ways is to determine the distribution of agricultural water and remove any unequal access to the water supply among land users. If proper distribution is enforced, there would be opportunities for effective cultivation and productivity. This will enhance earnings, thereby improving economic growth and relieving poverty.

B. Reformatting the Health sector

I propose that the respective agencies first, reestablish the various fundamental essentials such as immunization, obstetrics and A&E departments. In addition, a good rehabilitation system should be in check to better cater to the respective patients in need.

C. Reformation in the Education segment

Restructuring the education system is the most important factor in rebuilding Zimbabwe. It is the key to move out of poverty. It also brings about changes to the social, political and economic developments. However, in order to provide opportunities for a better future, government agencies would have to ensure the quality of education given. Here are some suggestions to improve the system:

· Provide technical and vocational training at all levels

· Instill values, principles and moral education

· Community involvement

These will lead to a better, effective, efficient and sustainable approach.

Melissa's Post

2010-05-21T13:12:00.001+08:00

Name: Melissa Poh
Student ID: S10064170H
The Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) is a collaboration between public and private organisations. It serves as an innovation platform that seeks to generate growth in rural crop farmers’ income and promoting environmentally and socially responsible methods of farming in West/Central Africa. This could be achieved through improved farming methods to increase productivity, raise demand for their products and reinforce institutional and policy environment. The World Cocoa Foundation (representative body of the global cocoa industry) and USAID have been the primary supporters of the effort, which is managed by the regionally-based International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Stakeholders include US Agency For International Development, Us Department of Agriculture, World Bank, UNICEF, farmers, the global cocoa industry, local private sector, national governments, NGOs, research institutes, and development investors. This program brings in the Paris Declaration of Mutual accountability by keeping their goals focused and aligned to the objective of the STCP. The aid effectiveness proves to benefit the living conditions of the famers and introduce aspects of globalisation to these areas.

The challenges faced firstly would be that cocoa is a tree grown crop. Therefore, they do not have much harvest on an annual basis. In addition, the amount of harvest would be susceptible to uncontrollable factors such as weather conditions. The spread of diseases and pests among crops resulted in a third of the crops being destroyed. Secondly, the maintenance of such crops is labour-intensive. The productivity of harvesting would be inconsistent and inefficient, thus, would jeopardise the farmers’ income. With the uncertainty of crops being produced each harvest, the farmers lack the resources to solve their supply problems. Additionally, a labour intensive industry requires the farmer to stretch their revenue to pay extra helpers to meet demands. Earning little revenue while having many workers, farmers would not abide to labor practices which is one of STCP’s objectives. Thirdly, the farmers possess outdated farming practices which slow down the productivity and efficiency of harvesting. Integrating technology and innovation would incur high costs for infrastructure and additional costs to teach them how to operate and utilise the machines. Teaching the farmers to engage in farming practices that conserve the local environment would be difficult as their goals are to earn as much revenue in the shortest time possible.
The role of the STCP would be to
1. Organize and initiate innovation tree crop industry and aid in developing the rural areas;
2. Provide technological expertise such as machines and infrastructure, and ensuring that quality control is involved;
3. Bridge relationships and communication between existing partners and stakeholders;
4. Recognize relevant partnership opportunities to aid and enhance program initiatives;
5. Support and go in the same direction with national and regional development schemes & maximise resources to encourage the growth of the tree crop industry;
6. Merge program activities and budgets; and
7. Communicate the effect of the Program nationally, regionally, and internationally.
This approach is sustainable because the innovation and skill set taught to the farmers would provide them a more stable livelihood in the long run. It not only improves their productivity and efficiency but credibility to their stakeholders. The new methods of innovation prove to also encourage entrepreneurship among farmers that could expand their businesses. Increased business opportunities can be seized as they are more equipped and aware of the returns and risks involved. Moreover, with increased revenue and program initiatives, more emphasis would be place on the children having to receive basic and even higher education to help in the family business and also start up more businesses themselves. With education and valuable experience, innovation and creativity can be maximised and better utilised.
The STCP program has brought into consideration one of the MDG goals which is to eradicate poverty and hunger. The STCP being a 5 year program and focusing on increasing productivity, marketing efficiency, and farmers’ income is an attainable and feasible goal. In their reports, each of the goals has shared actions involved and figures to reflect the amount of people they wish to impact. Shared action plans are effective because it ensures that there is focus and there is a reasonable amount of goals to achieve within a 5 year period. Methods of measurement would then be made easier not having too many factors of measurement involved which may rate success inaccurately. Having specific figures would help in anticipating the budget, resources, scale of project and support needed beforehand and being able to anticipate risks more effectively.
The Farmer Field Schools have worked well having reached over 170,000 farmers having improved and shared knowledge of crop protection, increasing crop yields and abiding to labour practices. Activities also include radio programs to improve quality control, marketing practices and labour management. Non-chemical pest control methods and diversification of farming systems have also been emphasised. The women have also been integrated into these programs. Figures have shown that the income and productivity gains have increased from 20% to 55%.
More companies are going directly to the farmers for the supplies which will increase the farmers’ income and decrease exploitation of farmers by the middlemen. The strengths of the farmers have been combined to ensure that the market is not saturated and competition would not “suffocate” the smaller scale farmers. The farm earnings have increased by 5% to 15%.
Lastly, the quality and ease of access to education has been improved. The teachers undergo trainings to improve of teaching methods and communication. The curriculum has also been revised to ensure that the students are being educated on current trends and events applicable to their future. Furthermore, micro-crediting options are available to families to support the family businesses so kids are granted education. The STCP fulfils the one of the MDG goal in providing basic education.
The STCP needs improvement in areas such as reaching the tree crop farmers residing in the more inaccessible areas. This could be done by dispersing a needs assessment team to these areas to recee and find out the real needs of the place. In addition, finding out what the resources available are and the strengths of the area and people there. This is crucial because it would stretch resources too much if assumption of needs occur and transportation to these areas would incur more costs. Tapping on the strengths of the place would ensure that actions plans have a higher chance of success. Implementation of similar activities to different places may not prove effective all the time. Secondly, would be strengthening farmer groups. This could be done by ensuring that the profits from the businesses are distributed proportionately. Impartial assessment of profit distribution could be provided by the organisations involved. Events and get-togethers can be organised to celebrate the milestones and success of the sale of crops. This is to emphasise on community bonding and peaceful working relationships. Ownership of a few tree crop areas can be given to the farmers to ensure that they are responsible for the safety and success of those tree crops which in turn develops trust.
Promoting crop diversification is important because it reduces the risk of the farmers’ income stability as they are not only dependent on one crop harvest to survive. In addition, crop diversification reduces stiff competition and ensures that market share is healthily distributed. With more diversification comes more business opportunities which in turn enhances the rural area development.

JuoWi's Post

2010-05-21T13:02:00.000+08:00

The collective approach that I have chosen is the preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) program in Rwanda, Sub-Saharan desert, implemented by the Rwanda health care system and USAID. Some of the challenges they faced are shortage of staff, lack of infrastructure and space, and poor provider motivation and burnout.

The organizations involved are USAID, Byumba Health Center, World Health Center (WHO), Rwanda Ministry of Health, the U.S. government and Rwandan Division of Health Care Services. USAID started the project with the Rwanda health care system. Byumba Health Center provided all the test results. WHO published that the quality improvement collaborative approach has had an impact on the providers as well as the patients by enhancing provider understanding of quality of care and targets. Rwanda Ministry of Health and the U.S. government together implemented a collaborative approach to improve antiretroviral treatment service delivery. Lastly, the Rwandan Division of Health Care Services institutionalized the approach as part of its national quality improvement strategy.

In my opinion, their approach is effective, efficient and sustainable. It is effective because through meetings and sharing of best practices with the QA teams, the sites reorganized their services to implement same-day testing and results, resulting in an increase of women receiving test results from 82 percent to 100 percent. Not only so, since their intervention in certain communities, the percentage of women receiving Nevirapine (NVP) increased from approximately 60 percent to 90 percent, and more than 10 sites have been providing NVP to 100 percent of eligible women for many months. All these were done in a very short period of time. Thus proving their efficiency. They are sustainable is because this project is started since year 2004, and until now, it is still working. This shows that it is very sustainable. This project has been following MDG 5 on child mortality rate. Till date, they have been following closely on their goals.

Bernice’s post on Collaborative Approaches

2010-05-21T12:59:00.003+08:00

The most recent and devastating event that got the whole world rushing out to want to help, would be the Haiti Earthquake. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti had left 1.5million over people homeless and tens of thousands without the access to food, water and medical supplies. This devastating blow has put about an opportunity for different organizations to come together for a collaborated support in providing aid to the country.

Some of the different organizations involved in providing aid to Haiti are, the United Nations World Food Programme, Doctors Without Borders, International Organization for Migration, Christian Aid, Irish charity Goal, French agency Acted and Medecins Sans Frontieres. For all the different organizations, for them to work together, they are all aiming and targeting at the same goal, which is to provide aid to the Haitians, to want to help improve their current state.

At this point of time to go about reaching out to the Haitians, there are many problems and challenges faced by them. For transportation and delivery of basic necessities itself, there are delays in the delivering itself, the ports and airports in Port-au-Prince were not built to cater to the high volume of flights arriving, and from that, there were many planes hovering around or being directed to the Dominion Republic, it had in turned caused there to be huge backlogs. Coordination was the key importance for aid to be provided efficiently.

Other problems they faced would also be the delivering of food to the Haitians itself, they roads in Haiti have been damaged by the earthquake itself, rubble was everywhere and people were rushing in out of the state itself; the drive to deliver the necessities itself would take hours, and also with the destruction of roads and infrastructure in Haiti, there were also destruction of trucks, as such, there was a shortage of trucks and a lack of fuel, with the basic form of transportation being at a low quantity, not much of the food can be delivered in a short span of time.

One other problem that they organizations face would be of responsible aid, meaning that at one point of time when they distribute the basic needs, the people might tend to take more that required and keep it for themselves or even intend to sell it, as such, not everyone would be receiving the aid, as such, the most vulnerable ones might still be suffering when their share of necessities are taken away by others. Another thing would be building camps for them, or in a sense providing shelter for the people. Currently, the land where the homeless are living in now, it would not be suitable to built shelter there for a long term.

To counter such issues, the different organizations can work together in really planning their routes together and not rushing in to giving their supplies. The different organizations can plan and split up the work. It is all about planning and coordinating.

Glory's post

2010-05-21T12:57:00.001+08:00

RapidSMS Child Malnutrition Surveillance

An interesting example of a current collaborative approach would be The Integrated Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance (INFSS) system in Malawi. This was established with technical assistance from Action Against Hunger (ACF) and the support of the Malawi government, UNICEF, and respective partners.

As the massive spread of malnutrition affected Malawi, something had to be done alleviate this serious and fatal problem. With the system of SMS involved, even the MDG goal of ensuring environmental sustainability comes into place because the information would be stored in an e-database, hence minimizing the capacity of paper required. The staff in the field would now know about their patient’s status in real time.

This system also improved the mutual accountability on a local level. With a platform for information to be exchanged, trust and understanding can develop. The stakeholders involved would be the Malawi government, the local Civil Society Organization Ushahidi, full/part time staff involved in monitoring the data collection and nutrition program, volunteers, donors, and most substantially, their people.

Challenges

A major challenge would be the high frequency of improper measurement and collection techniques. As monitors are dispatched onto the field, it would not be feasible to observe their process of data gathering.

There could be a possibility of a skewed data as well. Although this system includes children within Malawi, those in further rural areas may not have access to the program. This could lead to misrepresentation of the country’s nutritional status.

Literacy was important as data collection would require knowledge of basic statistical functions or numerals. Data entry mistake were made by monitors on the field, and this could cause very inaccurate and false results.

Technological literacy could also be a challenge as the extraction of data would require an office application such as Excel sheets. With the large present challenge of massive data pouring in, the goal of real time reports on the nutritional status could be compromised.

Mutual ownership could also pose as a challenge to this program. As different partners are involved, the responsibility of following up might be unclear and difficult to account for if not planned orderly.

Organizations involved

UNICEF Malawi: UNICEF plays the role of facilitation between the collaborating organizations. As such, UNICEF involves itself in bringing partners together for this program. By providing open source policy, they encourage transparency and harmonization of the partnerships. UNICEF inculcates productive management for results. They maintain impartiality by balancing national objectives, and the people’s welfare. This would then aid the most appropriate decision making process.

Malawi Government: The government has the role of securing and providing the central database monitoring the status of its country. Being responsible for a macro overview, the government aids in the management of policies for effective collection of data, as well as the implementation of nutrition programs.
For example, they are able remove the previous manual version of data collection, and channel warning systems that require a nation-wide notice. Their involvement with Rapid SMS through UNICEF promotes shared analysis and the usage of common arrangement/procedures

CSO (Civil Society Organization) Ushahidi aka “Testimony” in Swahili: Ushahidi’s role involves providing a platform of data gathering and collection. This allows the needs of the locals to be assessed, and reinforces UNICEF’s open source policy to bring awareness about the current conditions in Malawi. They help encourage fellow organizations within the continent to establish monitoring systems as well. Ushahidi fosters ownership between partners. For example, they are able to build the trust of their people and instill belonging with what the government is trying to do.
Columbia University, Rapid SMS/Frontline SMS

The students involved would work with the Malawian government and UNICEF to implement the open source system for Rapid SMS. These persons with expertise reinforce the MDGs of global partnerships. As the world is not able to go back in time for development, it could empower developing countries to advance forward. With their involvement, it helps this program in achieving the MDG goals eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and reducing child mortality.

I believe this system has proved to be effective and sustainable. With the efficient use of technology, the lag of paper work and high labor costs/manpower is addressed. It is a great approach because access to technology is enabled. As the phenomenon of globalization and development advances the world, the entrance of technology for these people entails access to markets, aid, and education. While the SMS technology is being utilized, it becomes a practical motivation to become literate. Hence, the MDG goal of gender equality could is involved because SMS could be used by anyone with the appropriate device, regardless of gender. This could lead to a rippling effect that proves to create incentives socially and economically. For example, as the people are able to use SMS, it could save them the high costs of calling.

What has worked well would be improved communications and effective aid to reach the children with malnutrition. It has also lowered operational costs, while enabling real time information of the current status of its people. Most importantly, it opens a channel of proper feedback that breeds a sense of ownership, trust and loyalty between the Malawians and their government.

What could be worked on would be the professionalism and accuracy of monitoring. As the data collected would affect the results directly, perhaps monitors who go into the field would have to pass appropriate training and trial tests. The process of collection could also be kept simple to reduce mistakes and errors.

Shaun's Assignment

2010-05-21T12:56:00.001+08:00

The country that I will talk about for this assignment will be Namibia. It is a country in southern Africa that has a population of 2.1million people. Of this 2.1million people, approximately half live below the poverty line of US$1.25 a day.

Also, as of 2007, 15% of the adult population is infected by HIV/AIDS.
There are many organizations that direct their efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS from spreading through several approaches. In this assignment, I will cover some of the parties that I have found combating HIV/AIDS as well as their approaches.

Top down approach – Government
The government has used several approaches such as conducting bi-annual serological surveys to gather data from pregnant women. These data would then be analyzed and published as a form of revealing the country’s situation in combating HIV/AIDS which help the various organizations that are giving aid in Namibia.
The government also works together with different NGOs and organizations to take care of the children that have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. As of 2007, it is mentioned that at least 78,000 children have benefitted in one way or another through the different collaborations and programs.
Also, they provide treatment to people in rural areas to combat the HIV/AIDS virus. As of end 2007, 52,000 people were receiving anti-retroviral therapy.

Bottom up approach – Other organization
This section could be an endless list of the many organizations. However, I will just highlight an organization that uses a different approach compared to the government.
Women’s Action for Development (WAD) is a Self-help organization that aims to aid the socio-economic and socio-political situation of the Namibian. The approach that it uses is through education. Recently, it has graduated 89 out of 100 of its students with certificates in Computer Literacy, Office Administration and Typing, Hospitality training, Upholstery training, Mat Weaving and Contents of Gender-Related Laws. During the course of the 4-week program, all the students will also be educated in how to use female condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS.

In alignment with our discussions during lessons, I believe both approaches although different, are required. WAD’s approach is that through education, the women would be educated to make informed choices that hopefully will curb HIV/AIDS as well as contribute to the economy through the various technical skills that are taught through their courses. The government takes the direct approach and the aftermath to provide aid. I believe that this is an effective method as WAD targets mainly the rural area women while the government gives a more holistic cover. Although the process will be more efficient if both would collaborate together whereby WAD provide their expertise like course work layouts to the government to empower future teachers.

Thank you for your read =]
Shaun Teh

Aid in Haiti

2010-05-21T12:54:00.000+08:00

Aid collaborations in Haiti

Haiti is a prime example of a location which draws multiple collaborations between governments and other aid organisations. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake tore the country apart and now aid from all over the world is arriving to provide disaster relive. Some of the organisations involved in the assistance are the United Nations, Doctors without Borders, World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, and Mercy Corps.

There are numerous challenges to the operation in Haiti. One being the massive extent of the damage. According to news reports and statistics, between 110 000 to 200 000 people have been killed and countless more are now homeless. Infrastructure such as water supply, roads and power lines has also been disrupted. Roads are especially vital for aid to be delivered efficiently.

One other major problem is overcrowding of incoming aid. Sometimes too much aid coming in can lead to congestion. In the case of Haiti, the airport is packed with planes brining in aid. In addition, according to the BBC, some planes couldn’t take off because there was a lack of fuel. Aid couldn’t come in through the port as well as it was damaged severely. The airport soon swelled up with aid of all sorts. It couldn’t be delivered to the population due to broken roads and debris blocking the way.

The disaster relieve has also been delayed greatly due to insecurity. As aid is trickling in slowly, the Haitians got frustrated and attempted to hijack trucks delivering aid. Looting was also becoming common as the people became even more desperate. To make matters worse, France and the US have a dispute over the operations. France feels that America is trying to take over the country and not aid the country. An airbus from France carrying a field hospital was also turned away at the airport by American air traffic controllers. This has caused aid from both sides to slow down in being delivered.

The fast and massive support from both individuals and organisations is definitely worth praising but too much of a good thing can turn into a negative outcome. Though much aid has arrived, transportation of aid to the affected population must be improved. This can be done by enlisting the aid of military helicopters and security from soldiers as well. Other countries should follow the US approach and send in troops to aid in security. (Singapore could have sent the Guards to provide security as they specialise in rapid deployment) What’s the use of having aid but not being able to keep it secure?

Marcus Liu

Julinda

2010-05-21T12:35:00.001+08:00

The Global Movement for Children (GMC) aims at uniting efforts from organisations, people and children to build a world fit for children. They work together with by ENDA Tiers Monde, Plan International, REDLAMYC, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision at a global level focusing on children. There are different programmes which are going on in the various part of the world to promote their movement of ‘Say Yes to Children’ which seek to protect and improve lives of children in the world.

In the Asia and the pacific region, they launch a campaign called EVERY ONE Campaign. The goal of this campaign is to prevent children from dying before they reach the age of 5 years. They promoted the campaign in the various countries such as China, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh. They also work with the government, UN and local organisation to help the people. They do so by creating awareness of this issue through media such as Radio and Television. The work together with organisation such as ASEAN Partnership Group, ChildFund International, Plan International, Save the Child, UNICEF and World Vision International. The partners mentioned previous such as ‘Save the children’ will go into the country and provide them with the resources to fulfil the goal.

I feel that their approach is effective and efficient as they work together with the government and the people in the countries. The program would only be successful if they are able reach the people in the country as it requires everyone effort to contribute to the fulfilment of the MDG. Therefore, by educating the people in the countries by having seminars and television talk show, the people in the countries would have a better understanding of the issue. They would also support the government policy regarding the issue. As they are also work together with the government and NGO, the government would be able to set policy to improve the condition and at the same times getting physical helps from the various NGO. By collaborating with the government and the various NGO, they would be able to help the children in the different countries.

They have done well in educating the public about the health of the newborn babies. They have also conducted survey to find out the on the public knowledge, awareness and behaviour regarding health issue. Through conducting survey from the public, they are able to see whether their campaign is working well in the countries. They have also done well in helping to achieve the MDG 4 which is to reduce child mortality rates in the developing countries. I feel through the use of media may not be that effective as the people in the poor villages may not be able to get access to such luxury. Therefore, they can also work with the grassroots to promote this campaign to the people in the rural area.

Justine's Collaborative Approach Assignment

2010-05-21T12:17:00.006+08:00

Using the Collaborative Approach to Improve Pediatric Hospital Care

(Picture above: Festus Kalokola, a Tanzania facilitator, clarifies a point to participants during learning session group work.)

Since 2003, the USAID-funded Quality Assurance Project started to support health ministries in Nicaragua, Niger, and Tanzania to improve the quality of healthcare for hospitalized children through national Pediatric Hospital Care Improvement (PHI) Collaboratives. The PHI Collaboratives’ goal was to follow WHO guidelines for the management of childhood illness to local health care settings and conditions. Supporting the application of the adapted guidelines, they then scale up the lessons learned and work towards improvements.

The Millenium Developmental Goal (MDG) their project was trying to achieve is to “Reduce child mortality. Many programs to reduce child mortality have overlooked district hospitals, where seriously ill children are taken but quality of care is often poor.

Hence the PHI collaborated with many International Organizations to help better improve their healthcare systems. The list of partners include:

Ministry of Health, UNICEF, CARE, Pan American Health Organization, Ministry of Health, WHO, the World Bank, the European Union, Belgium Cooperation, Ministry of Health Reproductive and Child Health Services, Integrated Mangement of Childhood Illness Unit.

PHI objectives was to improve the quality of care in district hospital services for children with severe illnesses, such as severe diarrhea and dehydration, pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS. They also aim to strengthen networks of care within each hospital to triage, diagnose, and initiate appropriate treatment and follow-up of severely ill children. And then spread the lessons learned in improving pediatric hospital services to other facilities in the health system.

(Picture below: A health worker in Nicaragua is trained in neonatal resuscitation using anatomical models)

Things worked out well for them, their approach prove to be a success, as the quality of care did improve significantly. The program was indeed effective and efficient.

(As you can see in the table below, the number of children arriving in the emergency wards receiving adequate care rose from less than 30% to 100% after the program)

Recommendations:

In my opinion, I do feel that this collaborative approach was a success. However, I do have a few recommendations:

1) Sustainability: Though the program was effective and efficient, it ran for only 1 year from 2003 t0 2004. I can't help but realize there was no sustainability plan installed to help even more heatlhcare institutions.

2) Participation: Though there were many International Organizations that funded the program. There was not much participation from them. The coaching and mentoring was all done by local experts. I do feel that these International Organizations could have helped by providing doctors and nurses to transfer skills to the locals there.

But all in all, they did reach their main goal of improving healthcare, which was to reduce child mortality. Hence, I feel this program has achieved its goals.

Done by: Justine Lee
Word Count: 474

Adeline's Post

2010-05-21T12:13:00.003+08:00

An existing collborative project in Sri Lanka is the “New Beginnings for Children Affected by Violence and Conflict”. It is funded by USAID’s Displaced Children and Orphans Fund and implemented by Save the Children UK. The project operates in the northern (Jaffna district), southern (Matara, Hambantota, Galle districts), and western (Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha districts) provinces of Sri Lanka.
The purpose of this project is to protect children affected by armed conflict and violence and those affected by the tsunami; assist young people in gaining safe access to family and government support; and enable children’s reintegration into community and society in Sri Lanka. The Departments of Probation and Child Care in three provinces has worked closely with Save the Children UK to support prevention, reunification, and alternative care interventions instead of simply institutionalize children at risk of separation.

This project started in 2004 and the USAID set aside $2,256,086 to fund this project aid. Sustainability may be an issue to a certain extent for this project. An example would be the 32 families that have been provided with economic support. Even with the funds, this project may not be able to provide economic or financial assistance to every family with reunified children for sustainability. In this aspect, the approach is not sustainable. However, the fact that the fund itself is used for this project and not for other purposes is effective. This is because the there will be no lack of political will or conditions present and attached to this aid that may cause meagre development grants in the end or mismanagement of the funds that will render it ineffective.

There were 1,440 follow-up visits conducted with previously reunified children. Other supports such as counselling, alcohol prevention and referral support to access other services were also provided to more than 190 families. This approach is effective as these supports provided can help the children and their families better. The project is also effective as it has also facilitated the formation of village committees to enhance and empower the community to proactively respond to child protection concerns.

An alternative care working group along with UNICEF and other key players were established. The group has had advocacy meetings with government officials and other organizations working in similar areas on key care issues. This is an effective way to seek help and increase help and care for the children and their families.

This project can help Sri Lanka in achieving the MDG Goals indirectly. Firstly, assisting children and young people in gaining access to family and government support will help in achieving MDG Goal 2 of achieving universal primary education and also help in achieving MDG Goal 6 of combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. This is because putting children back with family and government support will allow them to be better taken care of. Education and healthcare can then be better provided by their families than if the children are institutionalized.

Resources: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/the_funds/dcof/srilanka.html

USAID + Food for the Hungry (Chengxi)

2010-05-21T12:11:00.003+08:00

USAID works with various organisations worldwide in response to the MDGs. I'll be writing on it's collaboration with Food for the Hungry in Indonesia.
After the tsunami disaster in 2008, Food for the Hungry have been providing aid to them, even up till now where the aftereffects of the tsunami are still very visible.

USAID basically provide funds to Food for the Hungry as an untied aid.

The MDGs targeted here are End poverty and Hungry, and also Child Health.

In Indonesia where the land has been devastated by the disaster, aid is needed over a large time frame, which means that alot of funds are needed to see the project through.

Here are some of the projects Food for the Hungry is doing in Indonesia.

Agriculture & Economic Development: The Agriculture Livelihoods programs consist of training in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) organic rice planting method, organic gardens, and reforestation with cocoa trees as a cash crop.

Indonesia Education: In partnership and at the request of local leaders, Food for the Hungry created a program focused on the improvement of English education in Meulaboh. The project has four major components: English Camps, Teacher Training Retreats, Teacher Exchange Programs, and PKK Teacher and Leadership Training. In addition, in the Afulu district, our staff tutors in Indonesian literacy, kindergarten, and high school science and math.

Indonesia Livelihoods Program: Skills trainings are provided in sewing, embroidering, baking, and cassava chip making. In addition, participants learn about financial management and develop savings groups. These programs focus on empowering the women in the community.

Food for the Hungry began working in Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami, initially to provide relief assistance to children and families who survived the tragedy.

In response to the long-term need for rebuilding and rehabilitation, the City of Phoenix joined with Food for the Hungry to establish the “Rising to Help” initiative, a commitment to restore the municipality of Meulaboh, which lost nearly one-third of its citizens in the disaster. Food for the Hungry has committed to help communities and leaders discover sustainable ways to improve their living and know and embrace the love of God. The area now shows more economic activity than before the disaster.

chuanyu

2010-05-21T12:01:00.000+08:00

UNICEF joins forces with multi-national companies such as IKEA, with its programs to help the children. UNICEF focus it effort to improve the well being of children in poor countries. UNICEF’s efforts includes programs such as Child Survival and Development, Basic education and gender equality, HIV/AIDS and children, Child protection and Policy advocacy and partnerships for children's rights. The 5 focus areas mentioned above are programs design to meet its specific MDGs.

Why would companies wish to collaborate with non-profit organizations? It is because such collaboration would “strengthen its corporate image, demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility, bolster employee morale, and promote positive customer relations.” And also when products are cause-related it gives consumer a chance to support UNICEF when they purchase their products. This in return “engages consumers, boost sales and enhance its corporate image”. Being in partnership has many benefits to the participating corporation; it improves its corporate social responsibility in whole and also improves the image of the company.

IKEA and UNICEF
IKEA has been contributing to UNICEF’s cause thru strategic social investments, fund raising, cause-related promotions etc. Being the largest cash donor to UNICEF, IKEA has donated more the $180 million to support UNICEF programs. IKEA has also sign a 5 year agreement and pledge $100 millions with UNICEF India to support Child Survival and Protection programs. IKEA also contributes non-monetary donations such as tables and chairs which are put to good use in schools that IKEA also help in building.
IKEA has strong corporate social responsibilities even before they decide to collaborate with UNICEF. IKEA decide to take its social commitments to a global level in 2005 and started a social initiative. Their mission is to improve the rights and life opportunity of many children. IKEA has been successful in this area is due to their strong standards they have in their corporation.

Cynthia's post

2010-05-21T11:51:00.000+08:00

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an international development finance institution who aims to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve their quality of life. It is established in 1966 with 67 member countries present. They have a wide range of partners from governments to foundations.

In March 2010, ADB has established a partnership with the Agence Francaise de Developement (AFD) who is a bilateral development finance institution having more than 60 agencies offices worldwide. They have an aligned goal which is to ‘support inclusive and sustainable economic growth and reducing poverty and inequalities in the Asia and Pacific region’ which will include achievements of the MDGs and protection of Global Public Goods.

The main areas they hope to target are the developing countries in Asia Pacific region that have competing and important priorities that are widely spread across sectors. These countries should have the strengths and potentials to improve. Both organizations will focus on their comparative advantages to add value to the projects. They will also “improve policy dialogue at country level in support for the accomplishment” the Paris declarations and Accra. They will also explore internal policies to achieve aid effectiveness. They hope to share their knowledge and resources together to yield more benefits.

I believe their approach is effective, efficient and sustainable. Firstly, because both organizations’ missions are aligned, it is easier for them to set their directions. AFD has a wide range of financial instruments in funding activities and is experienced in providing assistances in many sectors. This collaboration will help more countries in need and also exchange their expertise with each other. Both organizations have taken part in joint projects before and feel that it is very comfortable working with each other.

However, possible challenges they might face would be that they are not able to meet up as often perhaps due to their countries’ distance (Manila and Paris). Also, it might be hard to determine whether one of the organizations is not doing its part well enough. Their cultural differences might also bring about miscommunications. They should think of the approaches they want to take to review potentials of the countries they wishes to help.

Resources:
http://www.adb.org/About/
http://www.adb.org/partnerships/pdf/partnership-framework-afd.pdf