government agencies
Regional cooperation thrives on the shared interests of its members. It is like a joint enterprise which involves initial investment costs but ultimately offers positive benefits. The question of the sustainability of co-operation, like enterprises, is therefore the legitimate concern of its beneficiaries. This is why there is a momentous growth of cooperation organisations for development in...
The once isolated Jiri Valley of this hilly region of eastern Nepal came into prominence as a result of a Swiss developmental project. The Swiss Association for Technical Assistance (SATA) initiated a multi-purpose development project in 1957. At this time, the Swiss government and His Majesty's Government of Nepal (HGM) began to expend a tremendous amount of effort to develop the area, with...
Advocacy Strategies and Approaches: A Training of Trainers Manual on Advocacy Strategies for Community-based Organisations in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, and its companion Resource Manual, were developed for potential trainers of community-based organisations (CBOs) in the HKH region. The manuals are intended to provide useful guides for conducting regional and local-level training on...
The new DFID White Paper puts the state at the heart of development, recognising the need for capable, responsive and accountable governments in order for development to be successful. Oxfam warmly supports this position, along with DFID’s commitment to increase the amount of UK aid spent on supporting developing country governments to provide basic social services for their citizens....
In large parts of the world, forests remain the domain of the State in which the rights of forest-dependent peoples are denied or insecure. Efforts to restore justice to and alleviate the poverty of these marginalized communities have often focused on tenurial reforms. Sometimes these reforms have led to important improvements in livelihoods, mainly by stabilising communities’ land-use...
In May 2007 Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) announced a moratorium on the granting of new land concessions in order to give the Government time to review the existing policies and improve perceived weaknesses. Such a critical review was very welcome. However, most problems seem to be caused not as much by deficient rules as by...
While there has been a major focus and increase on microfinance and microcredit programs in recent years, microenterprises (MEs) still face significant business development and growth challenges. In a developing country context, they are predominantly found in the informal sector and their growth is hindered by limited access to affordable credit, markets beyond their immediate local area, new...
Ningnan County, Sichuan Province, China, is a small, typical mountain county with an area of 1670 km2 and a population of 167,000. In the past 20 years, great achievements have been made in economic development in general and agricultural development in particular.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland's international cooperation agency, is part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (the Swiss Foreign Ministry). Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe as well as humanitarian aid.
SDC employs a...
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) recently prepared a short orientation paper, entitled Addressing Climate Change Through Development Cooperation, with a focus on natural resource management, livelihoods, and food security. This document illustrates how the issue of climate change can be addressed and integrated into the work of an agency. In SDC's...
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