[ Climate change ]
“A lot at stake”
Rich countries and emerging nations must become leaders in global environmental protection, says Hinrich Mercker, climate expert at InWEnt. He sees urgent need for action in the fields of funding, technology transfer and capacity building.
[ Interview with Hinrich Mercker ]
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[ Comment ]
Revolutionary ideas
Patent protection continues to affect HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries. To change this, rules for the international pharma industry need to be reformed.
[ By Tobias Luppe ]
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[ Comment ]
Farewell, G8
A lot of changes were announced at the global finance summit in Washington, but probably a lot will stay the same. Large
emerging-market countries seem to have accepted the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), for instance.
[ By Hans Dembowski ]
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[ Comment ]
Kagame and Kabila hold the keys
Escalating violence in eastern Congo has a negative impact on neighbouring countries. Uganda is an example.
[ By Grace Matsiko ]
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[ World Development Report ]
Relevant rural-urban interplay
Temporary migration between cities and rural areas shape life in many developing countries. For a long time, neither the academic mainstream nor development agencies took notice. For good reason, the World Bank has started to look into the matter, yet it fails to account for the complexity of informal relationships.
[ By Eva Dick and Einhard Schmidt-Kallert ]
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[ Donor harmonisation ]
Tackling the trust deficit
International programmes on adaptation to climate change must be coordinated according to the principles of aid effectiveness as were spelled out in the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action. Global warming is too urgent an issue to waste time and resources.
[ By Bernard Petit ]
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[ Military history ]
Islamists in the ranks
Since independence, the armies of India and Pakistan have taken distinctly different roads. The Pakistan army was exposed to religious influence and has often served as a stepping stone to political power. Unlike in India, military rule has undermined development in Pakistan. This essay was written and published before the recent terrorist attacks in Bombay.
[ By Shuja Nawaz ]
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[ Donors’ responsibility ]
“A mandate for change”
Massive funds will be needed to help developing countries cope with climate change. This money should not be confused with official development assistance, says Saleemul Huq of the International Institute for Environment and Development. The rich nations have caused the problem and must compensate the victims.
[ Interview with Saleemul Huq ]
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[ Global warming ]
Waiting for culprits to act
Like other semi-arid areas of the world, the Sahel zone is strongly exposed to the effects of climate change. In Senegal, NGOs and governmental institutions are working on how to adapt. Though there is a need to act at the national level, the Senegalese people feel that those responsible for global warming should do more to rise to their responsibility.
[ By Mohamed Gueye ]
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[ Greenhouse effect ]
Additional challenges
The European Union is committed to limiting the global temperature rise to 2° Celsius, and works towards this goal in international negotiations. But even such a limited increase in temperature will have major negative effects on ecosystems and human livelihoods which need to be adapted accordingly. The experience and instruments of international development cooperation must be made use of in order to rise to the unaccustomed challenges that lie ahead.
[ By Manfred Konukiewitz and Laura Schmidt ]
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