Source:
Liz Ford Monday 26 September 2011
They co-host events, love results, and adopt similar methods. Do the US and UK development arms enjoy a 'special relationship'?
DfID's Andrew Mitchell confers with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton at the UN. The UK and US have a similar approach to development. Photograph: David Karp/AP
Rajiv Shah, the head of the US international development agency USAid, and the UK's international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell, were in New York last week to celebrate success.
As part of their UN general assembly agenda, the pair co-hosted an event to showcase the ideas that are driving progress towards the millennium development goals (MDGs). Development programmes in Peru, Brazil, Nepal, Zambia and Gambia were among those singled out for praise.
In Brazil, the Bolsa Familia scheme, which provides conditional cash grants to mothers, has helped reduce the poverty rate from 42.7% to 28.8% since 2003. Meanwhile, focused attention on increasing access to school through the introduction of bursaries and awareness campaigns in Zambia has raised enrolment rates. In Gambia, investment in primary and secondary education has led to gender parity not only in primary school, but also in the first few years of secondary schooling. And Peru's improvements in healthcare and nutrition have substantially cut child deaths.
Speaking to the Guardian ahead of the event, Mitchell stressed the need for the world to focus on what can be achieved before the MDG 2015 deadline, rather than spending too much time considering what might come after.
"What we are trying to do is to focus in on each of the eight MDGs and underline and evaluate what works. I'm always nervous about people doing work on what could come after the MDGs, because we need everyone to focus on the last four years and get as far as we can," he said. He then added that the UK's Department for International Development (DfID) is doing a "huge amount of work" to formulate post-2015 plans that will be "strongly pursuing results".
"Results" is a word that comes up a lot when you speak to Mitchell and Shah.
"The [MDG] event really came out of discussions we had a little bit less than a year ago about results-orientated development," said Shah last week. "We wanted to highlight and recognise those places that have taken that results approach and successfully delivered."
"Each case study highlights that significant measurable documented results can be achieved against the MDGs."
It's perhaps not surprising that talk of results is such a big thing for USAid and DfID. Both departments are having to justify aid spending during the worst economic crisis since 1929. Both agree that showing taxpayers aid works is important.
Over the past 18 months, the US and the UK have been treading very similar development policy paths. As well as results, both talk about the important role to be played by the private sector, and by science and technology, in bringing about development. And both pepper speeches and announcements with mentions of national interests, security and power. The opening line of the executive summary in the USAid policy framework for 2011 to 2015, published earlier this month, provides a clear example. "International development co-operation is a key component of American power, along with diplomacy and defense," it reads.
This like-mindedness "helps us work together ever more efficiently and effectively", said Shah. "I see that [USAid work] as very consistent with what Andrew Mitchell is doing in the UK and other European countries," he added.
So much so that, according to the Washington Post, Mitchell spent time in Washington last week to bolster Shah's campaign against cuts. The Post reported that Mitchell was in town to persuade Republicans that cutting aid was not the conservative way of doing things.
Last Thursday, President Barack Obama spoke of the "special relationship" between the US and the UK and between him and Britain's prime minister, David Cameron. Could there be a similar bond developing between Mitchell and Shah and their two departments? It seems not. Although "very close to the US", the UK is "very close to a lot of different countries", said Mitchell, who is off to China shortly to explore opportunities. "We are getting increasingly close to China." Britain's "centre right development policy" is "winning support all over the world," he added.
As part of their UN general assembly agenda, the pair co-hosted an event to showcase the ideas that are driving progress towards the millennium development goals (MDGs). Development programmes in Peru, Brazil, Nepal, Zambia and Gambia were among those singled out for praise.
In Brazil, the Bolsa Familia scheme, which provides conditional cash grants to mothers, has helped reduce the poverty rate from 42.7% to 28.8% since 2003. Meanwhile, focused attention on increasing access to school through the introduction of bursaries and awareness campaigns in Zambia has raised enrolment rates. In Gambia, investment in primary and secondary education has led to gender parity not only in primary school, but also in the first few years of secondary schooling. And Peru's improvements in healthcare and nutrition have substantially cut child deaths.
Speaking to the Guardian ahead of the event, Mitchell stressed the need for the world to focus on what can be achieved before the MDG 2015 deadline, rather than spending too much time considering what might come after.
"What we are trying to do is to focus in on each of the eight MDGs and underline and evaluate what works. I'm always nervous about people doing work on what could come after the MDGs, because we need everyone to focus on the last four years and get as far as we can," he said. He then added that the UK's Department for International Development (DfID) is doing a "huge amount of work" to formulate post-2015 plans that will be "strongly pursuing results".
"Results" is a word that comes up a lot when you speak to Mitchell and Shah.
"The [MDG] event really came out of discussions we had a little bit less than a year ago about results-orientated development," said Shah last week. "We wanted to highlight and recognise those places that have taken that results approach and successfully delivered."
"Each case study highlights that significant measurable documented results can be achieved against the MDGs."
It's perhaps not surprising that talk of results is such a big thing for USAid and DfID. Both departments are having to justify aid spending during the worst economic crisis since 1929. Both agree that showing taxpayers aid works is important.
Over the past 18 months, the US and the UK have been treading very similar development policy paths. As well as results, both talk about the important role to be played by the private sector, and by science and technology, in bringing about development. And both pepper speeches and announcements with mentions of national interests, security and power. The opening line of the executive summary in the USAid policy framework for 2011 to 2015, published earlier this month, provides a clear example. "International development co-operation is a key component of American power, along with diplomacy and defense," it reads.
This like-mindedness "helps us work together ever more efficiently and effectively", said Shah. "I see that [USAid work] as very consistent with what Andrew Mitchell is doing in the UK and other European countries," he added.
So much so that, according to the Washington Post, Mitchell spent time in Washington last week to bolster Shah's campaign against cuts. The Post reported that Mitchell was in town to persuade Republicans that cutting aid was not the conservative way of doing things.
Last Thursday, President Barack Obama spoke of the "special relationship" between the US and the UK and between him and Britain's prime minister, David Cameron. Could there be a similar bond developing between Mitchell and Shah and their two departments? It seems not. Although "very close to the US", the UK is "very close to a lot of different countries", said Mitchell, who is off to China shortly to explore opportunities. "We are getting increasingly close to China." Britain's "centre right development policy" is "winning support all over the world," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment