- Published: 10.07.2015.
CF2015: Croatia marks biggest growth in development aid last year
The second panel of the 2015 Croatia Forum, moderated by Head of the EU Delegation to the UN Peter Ingemann Moesgaard Sorensen, focused on the differences and similarities between big and small donors and their interconnectedness with the recipients of development assistance
The second panel of the 2015 Croatia Forum, moderated by Head of the EU Delegation to the UN Peter Ingemann Moesgaard Sørensen, focused on the differences and similarities between big and small donors and their interconnectedness with the recipients of development assistance.
The EU is the largest donor to developing countries, said Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, but one must not disregard countries of modest income. Last year, Croatia marked the biggest growth in development assistance within the EU in relation to its GDP, he said. Mimica hoped that the Adis Abeba conference would confirm the importance of EU’s official development assistance as the key instrument for financing development.
Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák underscored the differences in implementing development assistance programmes between big and small donors, saying that small post-transition donors were better able to understand the challenges of developing countries. We must focus on promoting the rule of law for a more effective absorption of development assistance, Lajčák said.
Precisely targeted small donors’ assistance programmes is something Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov agrees with too, sharing Pusić’s opinion that joint efforts on part of small donors could combine to make a development impetus that would rival the measures of the big donors. In strengthening the rule of law we must pay special attention to the democratic life of political parties, whose commitment to the democratic values is a precondition for development, Mitov said.
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu agreed with Lajčák on the need for a better efficiency of development aid and linking the private, civil and public sector in allocating and implementing the programmes. Romania advocates a transparent security convergence in order to strengthen the confidence, Aurescu said, adding that it was something the EU could jointly act on.
The modern reality is a one of non-hierarchical development partnerships instead of the provider-recipient relations of the past, the panellists agreed, which was a topic addressed by Namibian Deputy Foreign Minister Maureen Magreth Hinda. She commended PM Milanović’s support to accommodating African refugees, stressing the need to overcome development differences between the global north and south.
Central and Eastern Europe should coordinate their efforts in development assistance, in which important role is played by regional forums such as Croatia Forum and the Visegrad Group, said Czech Foreign Minister Ivo Šrámek.
Kamaal Aldin Ismael Saeed, Sudanese State Minister of Foreign Affairs said that in spite of the international community’s efforts to stimulate the growth of its countries, Africa was falling behind the rest of the world, adding that the amount out money that illegally leaves Africa is three times that of the development aid that gets in. The international community must rethink global development strategies, he said.
Ahmed Mohamed Al-Meraihi, Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister, underscored the long-standing tradition of Qatar’s development assistance, which in modern context should be directed primarily at quelling conflicts, but also solidarity in times of catastrophes.
The armed conflict in Ukraine necessitates transformation of institutions and the economy, in which the country direly needs help, said Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Natalija Galibarenko. Right now the country’s priority is to establish peace and security, she said, adding that assisting the neighbour benefited the friend country too.
Kentaro Sonoura, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, called for the participants to honour the following day the victims of Srebrenica, adding that Japan’s engagement in conflict-ridden countries was directed as sustainable development and local control over development, which Japan has a lot of experience in post-WW2.
The panellists underlined their commitment to dialogue ahead of crucial conferences in Adis Abeba, New York and Paris, where an equal partner relationship between big and small donors will determine the successful defining of future goals.
PANEL 2
Different perspectives and partner coordination: Big, small and/or new donors
Moderator:
Mr. Peter Ingemann Moesgaard Sørensen, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva
Panellists:
H.E. Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation & Development, European Commission
H.E. Miroslav Lajčák, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Slovak Republic
H.E. Daniel Mitov, Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Bulgaria
H.E. Bogdan Lucian Aurescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania
H.E. Maureen Magreth Hinda, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Namibia
Mr. Ivo Šrámek, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic
H.E. Kamal Aldin Ismael Saeed, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Sudan
Mr. Ahmed Mohamed KH Al-Meraikhi, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar
H.E. Nataliia Galibarenko, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine