Finance for Development needs much improvement!

Information / Discussion
Financing for Development

Saleem Al-Habash, PYALARA ­ Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership And Rights Activation
Posted Tues 21:34 GMT

The chair, Mr. Arjun Karki of the Rural Reconstruction Nepal explained what happened at Monterrey, saying that the outcomes of the conference were not promising, nor did they match expectations. Mr. Taoufiq Ben Abdallah, ENDA Tiers-Monde (Third World), added that in his opinion: “everyone from Civil Society came out with a sense of disappointment” not only the NGOs but also States. The key problems of debt, long-term assistance, and economic reforms were not given any significant answers. They felt they were “part of the conference’s decoration”.

Mr. Déo Hakizimana, from the Independent Center of Research and Initiatives for Dialogue, presented his opinion from various perspectives being a journalist, an x-diplomat and a civil society activist.

Speaking about the obstacles to development in Africa, he noted that the most current problem had just been published in a Swiss Newspaper. The Tribune De Genève reported that some African delegates were not allowed to come to this World Civil Society Forum, commenting: “ barriers continue to be in this place.”

At the end of his speech, Mr. Hakizimana called on Africans to “Act Now”, adding that being present in the World Civil Society Forum, “maybe we have the advantage to do things, maybe we won’t do miracles but at least we have the chance.”

How long are we going to stay behind, when everyone is developing?
The responses of the participants came in different aspects, mainly focusing on the economic architecture of the world today. One said: “ when talking about civil society, I see that the money we can mobilize is so little… we can’t do much for development and survival projects.”

Some of the other responses focused on ‘where is the world going?’, saying that the poor are getting poorer and the rich richer. To which Mr. Tawfik ben Abdullah responded by saying very cynically “these are the rules of the game”. Another speaker from the floor asked how long are “we going to stay behind, when everyone is developing?!”

We must believe in what we do!
At the end, Mr. Hakizimana gave a different angle to what had been essence of the discussion throughout the session. He urged the participants to make a strategic alliance among developing countries especially the African countries; “we must believe in what we do, if we don’t, we will not do it.”

The session was well run because the panel presented their ideas, and many participants were also able to comment.. Nevertheless, it was to focused on one area rather than on the general problem. The emphasis was on two main things, criticism of the outcomes of the Monterrey Conference and the problems of financing development in Africa. Perhaps there will be more emphasis on other countries of the developing World during the coming sessions.