URU, Alm.del - 2009-10 - Bilag 261: Invitation til seminar den 6/10-10 "Rethinking Foreign Aid: Where Do We Go from Here?", fra The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)

Rethinking Foreign Aid: Where Do We Go from Here?Wednesday, 6 October 2010, 15.00-17.00Danish Institute for International StudiesMain AuditoriumStrandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen KBackgroundForeign aid is increasingly being delivered in accordance with general guidelines based oninternational agreements like the Millennium Development Goals and the Paris Declaration on aideffectiveness. According to political scientist Göran Hydén, this orientation has tied aid to goalsthat have little to do with the development potential on the African continent. Moreover, aid hasnot become more effective. The result is that despite the official donor rhetoric about nationalownership by the recipient country, aid is programmatically conditioned in such ways as toperpetuate aid dependency. In Africa, the global poverty reduction effort becomes an extra burdenbecause there are few of those drivers of economic growth that in other regions of the world havemade foreign aid superfluous. In addition, African countries are being judged on the basis ofstandards and indicators that elsewhere have been the result of, not the condition for,development. Good governance historically has been the fruit of development, not something thatcan be imposed from the outside regardless of socio-economic conditions.According to Göran Hydén, time has come to ask some basic questions about the relationshipbetween foreign aid and development in the African context, and to go beyond official developmentassistance to Africa. Donors need to draw attention to substantive issues rather than managerialissues. What is development and how does it come about? How is aid being delivered and withwhat societal effects? How can Africa get a new start? In his presentation Göran Hydén will drawupon his ongoing work and contributions to the debate on aid and development, e.g. at theNordicAfrica Development Policy Forum.He will also comment on the the new Danish Strategy onDevelopment Assistance:Freedom from Poverty - Freedom to Changefrom the perspectives ofreconsidering aid and development.SpeakersGöran Hydén,Distinguished Professor, University of Florida, USAAnne Sørensen,Chief Coordinator,DDRNLars Engberg-Pedersen,Senior Researcher, DIISProgrammeMore details about the seminar are available on ourwebsite.

Practical InformationThe seminar will be held inEnglish.Participation isfree of charge,butregistration is required.Please use ouronline registration formno later thanTuesday, 5 October 2010 at 12.00 noon.Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.Sincerely,Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)The Conference SectionStrandgade 56DK-1401 Copenhagen KDenmarkPh. (+45) 32 69 87 51Fax (+45) 32 69 87 00E-mail:[email protected]Web:www.diis.dk