Maastricht: The European Report on Development 2013 aims at feeding into the debate about what development framework should replace the Millennium Development Goals after their expiry date in 2015. The ERD team conducted case studies in Côte d’Ivoire and other countries to ensure that the report reflects various developing country experiences and perspectives with regard to the MDGs and beyond. International support for the present government gives it external legitimacy, but can it gain full domestic legitimacy and will this lead them to promote economic development?
This report discusses expenditure reform options in Portugal against the backdrop of the debate on the size and functions of the state, as well as the reform experiences of other countries. The size of the state is a matter of political choice, with European voters traditionally having opted for larger governments. In particular, the “European Social Model” emphasizes social solidarity, universal access (e.g., to health care and education), and the public provision of services.
Johannesburg: Zimbabwe’s “unity government” is failing to carry out reforms in the country’s Global Political Agreement that are vital for the country to hold credible, free, and fair elections in 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 28-page report, “Race Against Time: The Need for Legal and Institutional Reforms Ahead of Zimbabwe’s Elections,” assesses the legislative and electoral reforms undertaken by the unity government, which was established in 2009 after the 2008 elections resulted in violence.
Addis Ababa: Over the last decade and half at least, a new political and policy momentum has gathered across Africa, as, indeed, in other regions of the world, in support of regional and subregional cooperation and integration efforts. In the specific African context, this new momentum has, in fact, become an integral part of the development agenda for the continent which the African Union (AU), successor to the defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU), has spearheaded and under whose overall auspices it is being fashioned out and implemented.
Brussels/Nairobi: Over the last three weeks, the “Seleka” rebellion has extended its control over a large part of the Central African Republic (CAR) and is now on the doorstep of the capital, Bangui. A political dialogue between the Seleka leaders, the government and the opposition parties is urgently needed to avoid a new battle of Bangui, such as those in 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003, and potential casualties among the civilian population.
Addis Ababa; In 2012, we celebrated success in a number of fields as the continent sought to achieve its common vision of development, peace and integration. The development outlook for the continent looks bright as Africa is now considered the next growth pole. A number of countries inched closer to their development goals by registering impressive growth rates, some of which were in excess of 10%. Other countries discovered new sources of wealth in the form of minerals, oil and other deposits. Good governance became the norm in many countries.
Addis Ababa: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission has approved the deployment of a Long Term Observers (LTO)/Expert Mission to the scheduled March 4th 2013 General Elections in the Republic of Kenya. This is an initial step towards the institutionalization of African Union Long Term Observation Methodology and in response to calls by the AU Peace and Security Council for more in-depth, thorough and comprehensive Long Terms Observation Mission on the Continent that could inform early political developments in countries holding elections through which the Commission can take necessary preventive measure in order to ensure political stability in the continent.
New Delhi: Earlier this month the National Intelligence Council ( NIC) in the United States publicly released its report, "Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds". This is the fifth instalment of an exercise conducted every four years with the primary goal of providing the US intelligence and political community with a framework for thinking about the medium-range future. The report draws upon a wide range of consultations within and outside the US (including with think tanks in India) and is released in the brief period between the presidential election (in November) and the president's inauguration the following January.
Africa starts 2013 with hope and optimism. Africa has dropped its mantle as a “doomed continent” and has weathered several global economic crises fairly well. Today, the continent is a land of opportunity both for Africans and international investors. Many now see the region as “emerging Africa” because of the positive changes that have taken place and continue to take place across the continent.
Sangbulima: In sight of a crumbling 18th century slave trade fort overgrown with jungle, a conveyor belt pours ochre-red iron ore into the belly of a bulk carrier moored on the muddy Sierra Leone River. Past and present peer across the water at each other in this small West African state, one of several hailed by economists as flag bearers of a new rising Africa seen as a pole of investment and potential prosperity in a troubled, recession-hit world. In New York, London and Johannesburg, fund managers, bankers and frontier market analysts are telling clients Sub-Saharan Africa, dismissed a decade ago as hopeless and chaotic, is now ready to rival India and China as an economic success story.
