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Viewpoint
Letters to the editor
Four more years
12/2004 |
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Letters to the editor
Frankness
Sensible diaspora policy, D+C 2004:10, p. 355
The editorial in your October issue is a good example of articles marked by depth and frankness in discussing sensitive issues like migration. Congratulations to you and your staff for this pragmatic information service and for making D+C an instrument for better understanding among peoples.
Dr. Antonio L. Ledesma,
Centre for the Development of Human Resources
in Rural Asia, Manila, The Philippines
Exception to the rule
Fight against poverty: PRSPs remain unconvincing so far,
D+C 2004:10, p. 391
The poverty reduction strategy papers initiated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in many countries generally lack meaningful content and are largely irrelevant in practice. There is no need to conduct expensive evaluations to establish that.
However, the example of a small country hardly ever spotlighted by the big donor organisations and their “experts” – the Lao People’s Democratic Republic – shows there are exceptions to the depressing rule.
The Lao National Assembly gave its blessing to a “National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy” in February 2004 on the basis of empirical studies on the manifestations and causes of (rural) poverty and after many years of discussion – involving all the relevant government agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, the Lao mass organisations and the international NGOs represented in the country.
This paper (running to nearly 150 pages) defines the development policy and regulatory conditions required for all programmes through to 2020 and takes as its motto “Growth with Equity”. The strategy is geared to the concept of sustainability and rests on three pillars: economic growth, social/ cultural development and conservation of natural resources. This approach has won popular support as the “Thammasat Way” (named after the traditional Lao three-legged kettle).
The Lao strategy paper meets PRSP requirements in an exemplary way:
– It is based on conditions specific to the country, for instance a country-specific definition of poverty, ethnic diversity, special geographical conditions et cetera.
– The strategy is in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals for reducing poverty.
– The strategy was developed in close consultation not only with donors but also the main social forces in the country. All the actors relevant for future development thus broadly identify with the paper.
– The implementation of the strategy continues to be discussed within the framework of round table meetings coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme as well as in numerous sectoral working groups.
Among the factors that paved the way for this positive example is the – often criticised – deliberation of the Laos people, who steadfastly refuse to bow blindly to outside pressure stemming from a desire for fast rather than good results. What is more, the local UNDP office in this case took its role as coordinator seriously. Now, it remains to be hoped that the international donor community will not leave one of the world’s poorest countries in the lurch but will support its bid to define and attain its own development goals.
Dr. Wolfgang E. Fischer,
Freelance Consultant,
Mercatale / Italy
Not merely a problem
Sensible diaspora policy,
D+C 2004:10, p. 355
I want to congratulate you on your views on the immigration issue. I particularly liked that you mention that it is deemed unacceptable in Germany to work without legal protection and social security. However, “Germany does not grant these rights to people whose presence in the country remains officially unwanted in spite of their services being in high demand.”
As you said, migration is a global phenomenon. As an Honduran, I am exposed to the terrible consequences of my compatriots who embark on such purposes and end up, in the best cases, deported with their families torn apart, and in the worst, with fatal outcomes. Not to mention the terrible conditions in which they live in their countries of destiny, especially the USA.
It is very nice to see that people like you are sensitive to the complex implications of the migration issue, and do not think of it as merely a problem to eliminate. Insightful approaches to the issue like yours are needed in order to address it properly and achieve social justice. Thank you for providing a little light at the end of the tunnel.
Carolina Carias,
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
The editor reserves the right to shorten readers’ letters. The shorter a letter is, the greater the chance of it being published.
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