UN caught in ideological stand-off between West and G77
Mark Malloch Brown
In an interview with Development Today, the former chief of the UNDP Mark Malloch Brown says he hopes the agency will not be weakened by reduced funding as a result of the recent controversy over the agency’s human rights policy. UNDP, he says, has got caught up in the ideological turbulence between the West and the G77.
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Sida casts doubt on Swedish auditors
Sida doubts the quality of audit certificates issued by two auditing firms - Ernst & Young and Öhrlings PricewaterhouseCoopers - in connection with aid-financed NGO programmes in Iraq. Sida has asked for a professional ruling from the Supervisory Board for Public Accountants.
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Sweden considers budget support for Palestine
A new Swedish aid strategy opens for possibility of giving budget support to the Palestinian government. Sweden had earlier rejected the use of this type of aid to the Palestinians due to the fear of corruption.
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Danes double Afganistan aid, step up in Helmand
Denmark has launched an ambitious new strategy for doubling its annual aid to Afghanistan over the coming four years. The strategy aims to shift the balance from Danish military efforts to more resources for civilian reconstruction. But to get there, Denmark opens for more troops in the first phase of the five-year plan.
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Recipient needs above ‘narrow Finnish interests’
Development Minister Paavo Väyrynen is under fire in Finland. He is using selectively the results of a public opinion survey to justify further shifts on policies - away from budget support and towards areas where Finland excels.
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Experts warn: massive carbon forestry aid could hurt poor
A coalition of forestry experts urges “governments of conscience", like Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, to make forest funding conditional on the recognition of customary and equitable land rights.
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Nordea, Eksportfinans to give mixed credit loans
Norad has entered into agreements with two banks for providing loans for mixed credits. The idea is to simplify the scheme. Tenderers will no longer need to compete on financing when bidding for these contracts.
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Sida procurement of consultancy services 2007
Last month Sida made public the figures for total consultancy contract volumes over the last five years. The agency reports that the level has remained about the same with SEK 734 million spent on consultantcy services in 2007.
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Opinions
Paul Opoku-Mensah
ActionAid’s global network. Risks to African civil society
Transnational NGO networks are becoming major aid actors with resources that match UN agencies. Paul Opoku-Mensah comments on possible pitfalls for African NGOs of ActionAid International, which Denmark's MS is about to join.
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Björn Bengtson
Consultants on more equal footing with state agencies
Swedish aid consultants see a light in the tunnel. They welcome changes in procurement guidelines announced by Sida and the promise that projects assigned to state agencies will be subject to the same scrutiny as tendered contracts. Now Sida’s attention must turn to the issue of corruption.
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Norway criticises donors for holding back Palestinian aid
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says Norway and the EU cannot give more aid to solve the financial crisis in the Palestinian territories. Other donors must fulfil their Paris promises, he says.
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