Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Monitor Challenging guidelines Afghanistan: NGOs adopt code of conduct AIDS drug: Brazil achieves price reduction US Congress slows down Millennium Challenge Account German development budget 2006 Pro-poor growth in practice Military intervention hardly helps G8 summit disappoints NGOs GTZ attracts international funds Generic pharma factory in Kabul New EU trade preferences Privatisation dispute misses the point Scant participation by civil society 8-9/2005		US Congress slows down Millennium Challenge Account So far, US President George W. Bush has not had much luck with his pet development initiative, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). According to the New York Times, Congress has only approved of $ 2.5 billion worth of MCA funding in the last two years – significantly less than the administration had originally pledged. In June, the administration’s budget application for the current year was also slashed from $ 3 billion to 1.75 billion. Almost simultaneously, Paul Applegarth, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which administers the MCA, resigned from his post without giving any reasons. Since its inception one and a half years ago, the MCC has only earmarked $ 610 million dollars for projects in four countries. The actually disbursed amount adds up to a mere $ 400.000. In the words of a congress member quoted by the New York Times, that is “not even chump change” (ell)