|
European Aid to Asia & Latin America: Imposed development and governance models? Sunday 21 January 2007: "Can Europe really provide an alternative to the Washington Consensus?". This question was central to a broad exchange on European aid policies organised by Asian, Latin American and European NGOs at the World Social Forum in Nairobi.
This question was central to a broad exchange on European aid policies organised by Asian, Latin American and European NGOs at the World Social Forum in Nairobi. This workshop conducted by the Asociación Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción (ALOP), Least Developed Countries Watch, the South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE), Social Watch and Eurostep; allowed Asian and Latin American activists to offer their vision of a responsible European aid programme.
As the programming of European aid under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) is in its final phase, Mohiuddin Ahmad, chair of the Jubilee South-Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development, noted that "there is a perception that European aid is less tied than US aid, but this is a misconception." Discussing some of the aid priorities identified in draft DCI country strategy papers, Cecilia Alemany from Social Watch said "in most of the Latin American countries, European aid priorities are to build a business friendly environment but the Argentinean experience has shown that this kind of policy cannot lead to a sustainable and peaceful development." Giving examples of the disconnect between European rhetoric on development and EU actions in the context of the DCI programming, Alemany added that "the European discourse on gender and environment is very strong but it is not followed by real financial commitments in the context of the programming." The EU discourse on the participatory nature of the aid programme has also been identified as a promise not yet followed by concrete actions. Miguel Santibanez from ALOP underlined that little has been done to involve civil society organisations in the programming of the DCI in Latin America, despite the fact that NGOs organised themselves to make their participation more efficient in the context of networks such as ALOP. The EU discourse on the participatory nature of the aid programme has also been identified as a promise not yet followed by concrete actions. Miguel Santibanez from ALOP underlined that little has been done to involve civil society organisations in the programming of the DCI in Latin America, despite the fact that NGOs organised themselves to make their participation more efficient in the context of networks such as ALOP. Moreover various participants highlighted the need for European aid to contribute to food sovereignty in South Asia as the 2006 SAAPE report on "Poverty in South Asia" identifies rural poverty and food sovereignty as some of the main challenges faced in this region. Analysing the negative impact of the Washington Consensus on India, Dr Babu Matthews from Action Aid concluded that "when the EU follows this road, it is a real disappointment for us."
|
