BLADE

Norad launches English version of 2008 Results Report

'Development assistance-no shortcuts to good results' is the title of the 16-page document that summarizing Norwegian development assistance in 2008. According to the report, Norwegian development assistance achieves results, both positive and negative, via many different paths and channels. The report presents a description of Norway’s partners and their results in Mozambique, Nepal and South Sudan. 

Groundviews: a citizen journalism initiative from Sri Lanka

In a country that is increasingly under fire for clamping down on media freedom, citizen journalism initiatives, like Groundviews, are important sources of information on issues related to war, peace, democracy and human rights in Sri Lanka. 

This site represents a pioneering effort in Sri Lanka to create a channel through which citizens in civil society can be heard.  

Content includes thoughts on life in conflict zones, impending humanitarian emergencies, and information on security and ground conditions.  

In Focus: a Nordic Blog on Asia

In Focus is the blog of Asiaportal, the Nordic information portal for researchers, students, government officers and journalists with an interest in Asia. Its content is primarily based in the Social Sciences and Humanities. 

This week’s blog entry is on the war crimes tribunal in Cambodia that got under way in February.

In Focus welcomes researchers, students, experts and others to comment on the article or to contact them on bib@nias.ku.dk if you are interested in participating with a blog article in future.

Nordic Development Cooperation in and with Afghanistan

A report entitled Strengthening Nordic Development Cooperation in and with Afghanistan has just been released by Norad. Authored by Petter Bauck (Norad) and Arne Strand (Chr. Michelsen Institute), the report is based on extensive interviews with Nordic, Afghan and international actors in Kabul, discussions in the five Nordic capitals and documentation provided by the respective Nordic countries.

The report indicates that all those interviewed were positive regarding closer  development cooperation between the Nordic countries in Afghanistan. It also points out the challenges associated with making such cooperation a reality.  

Each Nordic country’s engagement is structured differently, the breadth of support and the number of people engaged also varies greatly, geographic focus and thematic focus are also different for each Nordic country, as is the choice of channel used.

Europe and the suffering of the people of Burma

The fate of the Rohingya people reverted our attention to the suffering of the people of Burma/Myanmar. In this week’s In Focus blog on the Asiaportal  Timo Kivimäki, Senior Researcher at NIAS, tries to identify a more flexible and sophisticated strategy from Europe for helping the people of Burma/Myanmar. This strategy would involve identifying opportunities to work on humanitarian and development issues despite the government tactics that are not approved of. At the same time, it would mean a flexible strategy of supporting the progressive initiatives and people in the government and opposing the less progressive people and projects.

Water rich Nepal plagued by poor power supply

Navin Singh Khadka 

Hydropower development has always been a favourite slogan of Nepalese politicians.

For years they have cited the country’s more than 6,000 gushing rivers and rivulets and sold the Nepalese people the dream of becoming rich by exporting hydroelectricity to power starved India, its neighbor to the South.

Nepal’s water resources indeed have the estimated potential of generating more than 80,000 megawatt of power.

Journalist Ahmed Rashid paints bleak picture of Pakistan’s future

Amila de Saram Larssen

Ahmed Rashid, well known Pakistani author and journalist, is in Oslo and presented his thoughts on “What next for Pakistan? Domestic and Regional Challenges” at a standing-room only talk at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) this morning.

Rashid listed some of the most pressing challenges facing Pakistan including its history of poor civil and military relations, an economic meltdown, the growing threat of extremism and worsening relations with India.

Aid to fight corruption in developing countries not effective

In the mid-nineties, donors started to place more emphasis on anti-corruption efforts in aid. Norad’s Evaluation Department, in cooperation with five other evaluation offices, commissioned a literature review that looks at how effective this effort has been. 

 

The review indicates limited success in  aid funded anti-corruption efforts.  Major findings include:

• There are few evident successes, and the results of specific anti-corruption efforts have been limited.

• Fight against corruption requires political support, good laws and a functioning court system - all of which are often lacking in poor countries.

Simulated Sri Lanka peace talks better than no peace talks

 

Amila de Saram Larssen

It is ironic that the Peace Conference Simulation on Sri Lanka taking place at the University of Oslo this week comes at a moment when the conflict in Sri Lanka is at an all time high.  

After many months of high intensity fighting in the North and East of the country, the Sri Lankan army announced yesterday the capture of Mullaittivu, the last town to be held by the Tamil Tigers.  Many, including aid workers and diplomats, fear for the safety of thousands of civilians caught in the fighting.

I interviewed University students from Sri Lanka participating in the project asking them what they hoped to get out of the Peace Conference Simulation and if they thought that peace talks might commence any time soon in Sri Lanka.    Listen to what they had to say:

 

Kofi Annan hopeful about Obama administration's engagement with the world

Jan Speed

Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations,  was in Oslo for the 50th anniversary conference of NUPI (Norwegian Institute for International Affairs) and shared his thoughts on Barack Obama's leadership style and the ways in which the new administration is likely to engage with the world.