Responses by donor country agencies
This page contains information and links on positions of donor
country agencies regarding issues related to comprehensive social
policies.
European Commission
The European Union has undergone a major expansion from an
integrated market area to a significant global actor during the
current decade. Today, the EU operates actively in many fields of
foreign policy and international cooperation, including a wide
range of development issues. The European Union itself is the
largest donor in the world, even if its member states' aid budgets
are not taken into account. Together the combined official
development aid of the EU and its member states account for 55% of
the world's ODA. The development policy goals of the EU have been
recently specified in a joint policy statement
The European Consensus on Development (PDF),
published in February 2006.
The European Commission's Communication, entitled
"Promoting decent work in the world", aims to
strengthen EU policies and programmes in helping spread decent
work both inside and outside the EU.
See also European Commission communication on decent work of
24/5/06 includes European Commission's 2006 paper
Promoting decent work for all - The EU
contribution to the implementation of the decent work agenda in
the world (PDF) (11 pages) and
annex (PDF) (16 pages)
Finland
- President of Finland, Ms. Tarja Halonen co-chaired the
World Commission on Social Dimension of
Globalization
- Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Mr. Erkki Tuomioja
co-chairs
theHelsinki Process on Globalization and
Democracy.
-
Government Development Policy White Paper
2004, see pp. 23-24 on Social and Employment Policy: Finland
speaking as EU Presidency in ECOSOC, July-2006:
- ECOSOC - HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT (Geneva, 3-5 July)
Statement on behalf of the European Union
(RTF) by H. E. Ms. Tarja FILATOV, Minister of Labour,
Finland
- ECOSOC - SUBSTANTIVE SESSION (Geneva, 3-28 July 2006)
Statement on behalf of the European Union
(RTF) by Ms. Anneli VUORINEN, Deputy Director General,
Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland
- EU-speaking elements for the session on "Decent Work in the
UNDAF, and the work of UN-Country Teams" in the Operational segment
of ECOSOC, July-2006:
intervention by Mrs. Tarja Reponen (RTF),
Director for Economic and Social Development, MFA, Global
Affairs
-
Growth Through Equity: Case Finland (PDF). A background paper
written by professors Jäntti, Saari and Vartiainen for the World
Bank's World Development Report 2006 on Equity and Growth.
- Mikko Mäntysaari:
What do we know? - The Research Perspective
(powerpoint presentation from the Kellokoski event)
Germany
In a developing countries, initiatives like Social Health
Insurance (SHI) have the potential of contributing significantly to
poverty reduction, social security and economic growth. Social
Pension schemes, in turn, contribute both directly and indirectly
to poverty reduction. The indirect impact is channeled through
reduction of fertility.
The German government is supporting the development of social
protection in a number of countries through financial support to
social security schemes. For instance, the GTZ is involved in the
Zambian Kalomo Cash Transfer project. Another example of innovative
initiatives is the supporting of the inclusion of disability
dimension in PRSPs in Vietnam, Cambodia and Tanzania in
collaboration with Cristoffel-Blindenmission and Handicap
International.
For elaboration on these themes, see Dr. Rüdiger Krech, Head of
Section, Social Protection, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ):
"German response to social policy challenges in
the global South" (powerpoint presentation)
Norway
(abbreviated version of a chapter from the "Comprehensive Social
Policies for Development" book)
The most important document guiding Norway's development
cooperation is the
White Paper number 35, Fighting Poverty
(PDF). The document takes a human rights approach and is
particularly concerned with extreme poverty - which, it
stresses, has been claimed by many to be "our time's largest
human rights challenge".
Priorities of Norwegian Development Cooperation
- The new (since 2005) social/environmental Government still aims
to increase development aid to 1% of GNI (currently at
approximately 0.97%).
- The UN is seen as the most important forum for questions of
international peace and reconciliation, but is also given
increasingly more weight relatively to the World Bank.
- The Norwegian government has emphasized rights issues, social
development, inclusion and redistribution of wealth and resources.
The government also emphasizes using Norway's internal experiences
and competencies. The Prime Minister addressed the ECOSOC meeting
in July - pointing to the fact that the economic growth in Norway
is a result of social security, gender and distributional policies
together with economic growth policies. This is an opportunity for
bringing welfare and social policy on the development cooperation
agenda.
Norad has recently focused on examining the issues of social
policy including welfare policy, distribution and social security/
social protection. This work has been done in close collaboration
with colleagues from Sweden and Finland. Although most development
cooperation within this area is covered by Norwegian NGOs, some of
the current bi- and multilateral support to relevant areas
include:
- Norwegian/Finnish Trust Fund on Environmental, Social and
Sustainable development in the World Bank
- Social Inclusion Trust Fund and gender funds in the
Inter-American Development Bank.
- Gender funds in the Asia Development Bank
- Capacity-building programme in the AU within the areas of
employment, social protection and welfare, together with Sida
- Various types of support to UNICEF and the ILO • From 2007,
support to the National Social Protection Strategy in
Zambia
In the last year, a number of project groups have been
established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) that are of
great relevance to a social policy agenda.
- The 'social and sustainable development' group led by the UN
section of the MFA. Aim to focus on the whole 'Decent work' agenda,
but has so far had a more narrow focus on 'workers' rights'
- The 'food security and hunger group' led by the policy
development section in the MFA. Here, we are examining the issue of
social security as a mechanism to deal with long term food
security
- Migration project
- Gender and women's project
Sweden: Long-Term Support to Social
Development with Partners
(abbreviated version of a chapter from the "Comprehensive Social
Policies for Development" book)
Social development continues to be well embedded within
Sida, the Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency. One of the most important contributions of
Sida to global social policy has probably been Sida's support to
the leading social policy research institute in the UN-system, the
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).
Sida has over the years been, and continues to be, UNRISD's by far
the largest donor.
Sida has played an important role as a skillful advocate of the
social perspective(s) in the OECD-POVNET, in the process leading to
the
DAC-Guidelines on (multidimensional) Poverty
Reduction, and in the POVNET work on Pro-Poor Growth. It
supports also work of the ICSW.
In 2003, the Swedish Parliament adopted a new
Policy for Global Development (PGD). This is
strong on social development. 'Social Development and Social
Security' is one of eight central elements that cut across the
PDG. This policy contains two perspectives: (a) Rights
perspective and (b) Poor people's perspective on development.
Currently Sida is writing a position paper on Social Development
and Social Security, to be finalized during year 2007.
A draft working paper has been produced on Current thinking on
the two perspectives. A detailed Mapping of Sida's operational
activities in the fields of social policy, social protection,
social security and social development was commissioned to a
consultant, and completed in 2006. A surprisingly large number of
"social policy" projects and interventions could be identified,
although this was the first time that they were categorized as
"social policy".
Sida has always had one or several Social Development Advisors,
working closely together with professional colleagues in the
Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD). Sida is one of the few
bilateral donor agencies with full-time adviser for "Disability and
Development". In 2005, a new adviser's position was created in Sida
for Comprehensive Social Policy, with a mandate to work in close
partnership with the nearest Nordic neighbors, Finland and Norway,
and other likeminded partners.
Increasing emphasis has been put on bottom-up participatory
approaches. Ways of doing this include (a) qualitative assessments
of two SWAPs in Bangladesh; (b) joint workshops in the field in
partnership with the Sussex Institute of Development Studies.
Sida carried out a survey, published 2006, to describe
activities financed by Sida within the social sector:
"Mapping Sida´s activities, Swedish and
international actors - Social Policy and Social
Security".
The survey shows that a large number of such activities are
underway, especially in Eastern and Southeast Europe, where
cooperation within this area is well developed and well documented
for a considerable period of time. The development of social
services in St Petersburg is one example, reaching six hundred
professionals within the social sector with various educational
activities, during a project period of ten years. Five model
centres for social services have been established and
developed.
In Latin America, in addition to long-term cooperation within
this field, there is considerable current interest in how general
Nordic welfare solutions could possibly be adapted to a Latin
American context. A study of the development of the Nordic welfare
model and the possibility of transferring it to a Latin American
context has been presented to the regional ECLAC conference and
will form the basis of continued discussions in the search for
alternative models for Latin Americas social sector systems.
Several major programmes in Africa are aimed at children and
young people suffering the consequenses of HIV/AIDS and support is
also designed as capacity building for relevant organisations.
Support to the African Union in cooperation with Norway includes a
component on social security.
Vulnerable children and young people form the dominating target
group worldwide, followed by capacity enhancing activities aimed at
professionals within the field. Programmes aimed at general
measures such as development of legislation, social insurance
systems and social services also form an important component.
UK (Department for International
Development)
White Paper on International Development,
'Eliminating world poverty: making governance work
for the poor' sets out what the UK Government will do to reduce
world poverty over the next five years.
The White Paper sets out DFID's priorities and explains how it
will work with the rest of UK Government, partner governments,
international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs),
academics and the private sector to fulfil the promises made in
2005 to significantly reduce world poverty.
See also DFID Briefing papers
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