Posts in: International Cooperation

tl;dr: New name, same game? Germany’s development policy faces calls for reform. #FutureOfCooperation

Just as I am about to launch a series on the future of international cooperation, reports emerged in the German press about a strategy paper from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The paper, reportedly circulated among numerous NGOs, states: “Development aid was yesterday.” For instance, it suggests renaming the ministry from “Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development” to “Federal Ministry for International Cooperation.” (Table.Media - German, paywall)

Two things come to my mind:

1. Terminology matters: If the ministry has indeed used the term “development aid”, it is referring to a concept that is outdated in its own discourse. A more apt headline might have been “Development Cooperation was yesterday”, although that might have appeared too bold. 
2. A decades-old déjà vu: Almost ten years ago in 2015, a think tank with good relations to the ministry, now known as the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS), similarly claimed that “development aid was yesterday”, prompted by a British report on “beyond aid”. Despite some vague recommendations in the paper, there has been little substantive change in the way development cooperation is done in Germany. Notably, in the United Kingdom, the relevant ministry was part of the Foreign Office during this period. 

These discussions signal the considerable pressure on this policy area. It’s crucial to critically assess what is needed in terms of substantive change to avoid rebranding efforts that are merely symbolic gestures.

tl;dr: Launching a series of posts on challenges and possible reforms in government-led international cooperation; constructive input is very welcome. #FutureOfCooperation

International cooperation may not be a central topic in the current German election campaign, but related issues like security, climate, and trade policy are in focus. Broader trends also point to potential disruptive changes in this sector in Germany and growing momentum globally.

Based on years of experience in this area, I’m starting a series of short posts to highlight key aspects of this topic.

I’ll look at questions like

• Is there a need for reform and why?
• What has delayed change?
• What areas need reform?
• What collaborative models might improve outcomes?
• How would reforms affect the institutions involved?

I’d like to hear your thoughts! Constructively share your questions or insights on reforming international cooperation in the comments.

🌐 There is a strong case to be made that #DigitalPublicInfrastructure (#DPI) can contribute to the positive development of the economy and society: DPI supports essential digital services and interactions by being open, secure and scalable.

The question is whether private services can also qualify as DPI, but these principles can help if they follow key principles:

1️⃣ Permissionless use 💡 - Open access for all to drive innovation. 2️⃣ Obligation to contract 🤝 - Fair and non-discriminatory services. 3️⃣ Universal service 🏛️ - Essential services accessible to all.

But private providers must be kept in check, e.g. by 🔓 Using #OpenSource software to promote transparency. 🏢⚖️ Effective #competition regulation keeps monopolies in check.

With these elements, we can build fair, open and inclusive digital ecosystems. 🌍✨

#TechForGood #Innovation #FairAccess

TL;DR: Even private services can be DPI if they’re open, fair and regulated. 🚀

🗺️ Ever relied on GPS and not given it a second thought? Same here! Whether it’s finding a new restaurant, planning a cycling route, or driving to a destination, GPS guides us effortlessly.

But have you ever wondered what happens when GPS doesn’t work? This map shows just how vast these areas can be where GPS reliability is compromised - red and yellow areas. 📍⚠️

Check out the map here: GPS Jam Map gpsjam.org

#Navigation #TechInsights #Mapping #Technology

tl;dr: GPS is great - until it isn’t. This map shows the surprising extent of GPS ‘unreliable zones’. 🗺️

Introducing #EuroLLM, the latest European addition to the 8B class of LLMs, with a strong emphasis on multilingual capabilities. 🗣️🌍

💡 Why it stands out: • Top performer: Scored the best Borda score (1.0) across multilingual benchmarks. 🏆 • Translation excellence: Shines in tasks like FLORES (88.87) and WMT24 (83.61). 📜➡️🌐 • Versatility: Supports 24+ languages, including Arabic, Chinese, and Russian, powered by 9 billion parameters and a cutting-edge architecture. 🤖✨

Developed by leading European institutions and supported by the EuroHPC infrastructure, EuroLLM showcases the strength of collaborative innovation. 🛠️🇪🇺

For more details and download: huggingface.co/blog/euro…

🚀 Why it matters: In areas of international cooperation, where local language support is key, these models can serve as a powerful asset, rivaling global leaders in the LLM space. 🌐🌟

But let’s keep things in perspective: EuroLLM is in the 8B class, which is impressive but still a step below the likes of GPT-4 and other “Champions League” models. While the size of the models alone is not the deciding factor, there’s still a long way to go - this progress is inspiring and gives us hope for the future. 🌟

#AIInnovation #LLM #EuroLLM #MultilingualAI #TechInEurope #Collaboration #MachineLearning.

In today’s fast-moving landscape, where technologies and customer demands evolve at lightning speed ⚡, traditional businesses face a critical challenge: keeping up. 📉 Their structures - designed for stability and efficiency - often make it difficult to pivot quickly enough.

A solution? Corporate Venturing. 🌟

By partnering with startups, launching internal ventures, or establishing accelerators and incubators, companies unlock a powerful edge: ✅ Access to cutting-edge technologies that reshape industries ✅ New business models to tap into emerging markets ✅ Speed and agility to respond to change faster than competitors ✅ A boost to entrepreneurial culture within the organization

Corporate venturing allows companies to combine their resources, expertise, and networks with the bold innovation of startups—a winning formula for long-term growth and resilience. 🌱

Of course, every opportunity comes with things to manage: 👉 Aligning corporate processes with startup agility 👉 Balancing risk with strategic goals 👉 Integrating new ideas into the core business

💡So will the future belong to those who combine the stability of established companies with the creativity and speed of startups?

Have you seen this approach drive success? Let’s hear your insights! 💬✨

As #Germany moves towards elections for a new federal government, the issue of an independent ministry for international cooperation will not make the headlines. However, the future of the ministry is likely to be discussed when a new government is formed after the elections. This post by Pascal Corbe gives a perspective on the topic.

As we reignite the conversation on #Reimagining #InternationalCooperation, it’s important to acknowledge that there are already effective, scalable solutions that are working on a smaller scale.

One of these approaches is shifting decision-making and resources into local hands, which has been heralded as a game changer for #InternationalDevelopment. #Localization

However, repost this disillusioning assessment of #localization in #GlobalDev. Despite widespread acclaim, the gap between rhetoric and reality is stark.

So this remains a challenge! Reimagine international cooperation to truly empower those it seeks to support. It will require a change of mindset, a rethinking of methods, and innovative tools to support it.

Let’s connect. I’m interested in this structural shift and know we need cooperation to make it happen.

Reposting this strong piece on #GlobalDevelopment as part of the “Re-imaging development” theme in the 04/2024 issue of D&C magazine (available as a free pdf download, pages 22-23: www.dandc.eu/en/archiv…)

#BabaGJallow makes the point that development plans, while aimed at improving living standards, frequently prioritize securing international funds over meeting the real needs of the population. Projects not aligned with local necessities do little to address the challenges faced by communities, leading to resources being misallocated and debts accumulating without tangible benefits.

#WayForward: Shift from fund-centric to community-driven development strategies. By promoting economic and political literacy through education and civil society, the odds that projects will truly benefit those in need and contribute to sustainable progress can be greatly increased. Plus: “Donor institutions should back off from the tailor-made, policy-centred development guidelines that are drafted in their capital cities and are motivated both by geopolitical interests and profit motives.”

What seems counterintuitive in the framing of “ownership” is just the flip side of what #Nobel #Laureate #AngusDeaton described: “Aid agencies, whose rhetoric claims to support those citizens and especially the poor, have their own interests, constituencies, and finances back home, which must get priority when push comes to shove, while in the recipient country their activities can be (and are) gamed by recipient governments.”

#GlobalDevelopment #SustainableDevelopment #CommunityEmpowerment

I just came across this older post were NGO Shabaka’s CEO Bashiir Ahmed shares thoughts on A New Era for Humanitarian Aid: Decentralisation, Local Empowerment, and a Holistic Approach. The post presents compelling arguments that, while focused on humanitarian aid, are highly relevant to the broader international development field as well.

Key takeaways that resonate deeply with sustainable transformation in international cooperation:

🔹 Decentralisation is key: Centralised, bureaucratic, top-down and inflexible structures too often don’t contribute effectively to the widespread expansion of opportunities for people from all social backgrounds. Embracing decentralisation can significantly increase resilience to external shocks and give local communities the power to drive sustainable change.

🔹 Empowering “beneficiaries”: The term ‘beneficiaries’ often implies passive recipients within a technocratic framework of aid implementation, which can unfortunately open the door to elite capture of resources. Genuine, sustainable change is much more likely to occur when the agency of local communities is recognised and strengthened. Engaged community members with those directly affected, with their unique skills and knowledge, are the real catalysts for positive change.

It is time to take decisive action to make the fundamental change needed in our approach to humanitarian aid and international cooperation. 🌱💡