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Contributions from
the Column
Studies and reports
Assessing the costs, benefits and risks
of GM crops on a case by case basis
DAC discusses civil-military cooperation
Ownership is the goal rather than the means
Making use of local expertise
US Senate approves outsourcing ban
Organic cotton is gaining ground
3/2004 |
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[ DAC discusses civil-military cooperation ]
Should development-oriented cooperation with the military qualify as official development assistance (ODA)? At the moment it does not meet ODA criteria. The rule of thumb is that as soon as the partner wears a military uniform, it’s not development cooperation. But the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD is currently checking whether that guideline is still practicable. At a meeting of the DAC Conflict, Peace and Development Co-operation Network on February 11 and 12 in Paris, according to participants, there was general agreement that the demobilisation of child soldiers, for example, should qualify as ODA even though its realisation requires to cooperate with military staff. Other points – such as whether human rights training for military staff is eligible as development assistance – were deferred for later consideration. Another workshop on the matter is scheduled for mid-March and resolutions at DAC ministerial level are to be reached in mid-April. Ahead of the meeting in February, NGOs such as the British BOND network voiced fears that the DAC is planning to modify ODA eligibility criteria to encompass counter-terrorism. There was no mention of this in either the agenda or the catalogue of questions for the meeting, however, and participants reported unanimously that the issue played practically no role at all in the proceedings. (ell)
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