Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Monitor OECD peer review of German development policy World Bank discontinues support for Chad UN decides on Peacebuilding Commission Webpage of German World Bank office $1,9 billion pledged to fight avian flu Rise in globalunemployment Afghanistan’s public finances No guarantee of ownership German insurance giant to launch micro-policies in Indonesia 02/2006		$1,9 billion pledged to fight avian flu The international community is engaged in fighting the spread of bird flu. At a donor conference in Beijing in January, donors pledged the total sum of $1,9 billion, some $500 million more than considered necessary by the World Bank. The European Union is to contribute $260 million, of which the Commission will pay $120 million, whereas $140 million will stem directly from the member states. Germany has pledged the sum of 13 million, according to a report by Financial Times Deutschland. The conference in Beijing was co-hosted by the European Union, the World Bank and China. Ahead of the conference, Germany had already promised to support prevention efforts in Indonesia and Vietnam. According to Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, ¤8 million were earmarked for equipping laboratories, buying vaccines and fund awareness raising. “The Avian flu is threatening the health of people in developing countries – particularly so, wherever humans and animals are living in close contact,” the minister said. The minister stressed that children are particularly vulnerable to the disease. She added that the virus must be prevented from mutating and becoming able to spread from humans to humans, thus starting a pandemic. Germany will also advise East-African countries on strategies to prevent the avian flu from spreading to the region. (dem)