Kategorie: Allgemein

Change or Crumble! Germany Needs to Reposition its International Cooperation

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , ,
Image: Tracks going to the horizon

©Brigitte makes custom works from your photos, thanks a lot on Pixabay

As Angela Merkel’s 16 years at the helm of the German government come to a close, Germany’s international cooperation for sustainable development seems, at first sight, to be in good shape. During her tenure, German official development assistance (ODA) more than tripled, reaching $28 billion in 2020 and putting Germany second only to the United States ($34 billion) and well ahead of the United Kingdom ($19 billion) and the EU Institutions ($17 billion).

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Four Ways the German Government Can Improve Development Effectiveness

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, ,
Photo: Bundestag architecture

©Vadim Derksen, Pixabay

Over the last decade, Germany emerged as a leading provider of development finance. Since 2016, Germany has consistently been the second largest bilateral provider of official development assistance (ODA), and in 2020, it was the only G7 member to meet the 0.7 percent ODA/GNI spending target due to its generous increases in ODA in response to COVID-19. While Germany continues to provide a large quantity of ODA, it often ranks in the middle on comparative measures of development quality (for example: 2021 Quality of ODA index, Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation monitoring, Aid Transparency Index, and AidDATA’s Listening to Leaders survey)…

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The Review of the Resident Coordinator System: Give UNDS reform a chance!

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , , ,
Image: Picture of the UNO General Assembly Hall

Photo by hibino on Flickr (altered), https://www.flickr.com/photos/hibino/51544029/

These days, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly is tasked with fine-tuning a centrepiece of the reform: the strengthened Resident Coordinator system – key driver of a more cohesive UN Development System (UNDS) working towards a common agenda. Negotiations have yet to reach a break-through.…

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The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment – proceed with caution

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , , , , ,
Photo: Power plant from above, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

Photo by marcinjozwiak on Pixabay

Today, the European Commission presented its “Fit-for-55” proposal which includes a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The CBAM would impose a levy on imports into the EU based on their CO2 content from 2023. As part of the European Green Deal, Commission President von der Leyen had announced this instrument two years ago in order to be able to implement more ambitious climate policy targets without energy-intensive sectors shifting their emissions abroad (carbon leakage). Following the Commission’s proposal, the CBAM must now be spelled out in detail by the EU member states and the European Parliament. Going forward, it is key to ensure that the CBAM is effective in fighting climate change, that it is WTO compatible and, above all, that it has as few ramifications as possible for foreign policy and for developing countries in particular.…

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