Cooperation with Arab donors

projekt beendet

Context Alongside those member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that make up the Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC), the Arab nations also form an important part of the international donor community. In particular the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are home to institutions that specialise in allocating funds for development assistance. Some three-quarters of development aid from non-DAC countries comes from Arab donors. Half of Arab development aid flows to the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (i.e. the MENA region), followed by sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Central Asia. Despite the generous contributions of all these institutions, coordination between Arab and OECD-DAC donors remains hesitant. This weakens the sustainability and effectiveness of development measures, and potential synergies are lost.Objective German and Arab international development organisations are cooperating more strongly at the operational level.Approach To achieve this objective, cooperation projects backed by an open regional fund and one or more Arab donors are being jointly planned, financed and implemented in recipient countries of the MENA region. These promotional efforts target regional projects that strengthen civil society structures and contribute to reducing poverty. The components of promotion comprise advisory services, training and continuing education and, on a small scale, providing materials and equipment. The programme covers all countries of the MENA region in which German international cooperation organisations are present.Results achieved so far To date Arab donors have shown themselves to be active participants in the planning and implementation of projects. It has been clearly demonstrated that small yet visible projects that are relevant to development policy and conducted with the partner organisations are doing much to promote trust building and dialogue.GIZ and the Arab Gulf Fund for Development (AGFUND), a multilateral organisation based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, are currently implementing the project Women’s Access to Microfinance and Support to Victims of Violence in Yemen. The project provides opportunities for education and income for women and girls who have been victims of violence. By the end of February 2014, some 2,500 women had received training in income-generating activities, approximately 80% of whom have since started their own projects or found employment. Some 1,800 of these course participants have now applied for small loans, and 400 have already taken up such loans.Likewise financed by AGFUND was the project Women’s Access to Health and Legal Services that is being implemented in Tunisia and Yemen by the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR). In Yemen, the project supported continuing education for midwives in the governorate of Hajjah, while in Tunisia, 40 employees of a non-governmental organisation have qualified to provide counselling services aimed at reducing domestic violence and aiding its victims.Together with the Qatar-based organisation Silatech, the regional programme is fostering a project to develop and promote the use of savings-account products geared to young people. The project works with banks, microfinance institutions and NGOs, and hopes to reach 50,000 young people in Egypt, Yemen and Morocco. By the end of 2013, more than 17,000 young women and men in Yemen had deposited a collective sum of almost EUR 3.5 million, while in Morocco more than 500 young people seven cities had received financial literacy training. Through cooperation with the University of Cairo in Egypt, it has been possible to guarantee the provision of financial literacy training as part of the curriculum for economics students.

Medium