Lucía Polo Blanco.
COOPERATION AND A POSSIBLE SOLUTION
It is interesting to approach a general and not so specific topic that makes us think about how cooperation plays an important role in development and how we can make everything that revolves around cooperation and development improve.
Do we know what we are talking about? First of all, it will be necessary to give a definition about what international cooperation for development is, to later delve into something more specific with its main problems and possible solutions.
International cooperation for development is a set of activities, which are found within programs and plans, that offer tools and opportunities to people, groups and territories that are vulnerable and fragile. Cooperation means that aid is provided by countries to try to improve the lives and territories of the most disadvantaged1.
Despite establishing a good definition that provides the most relevant data and the principles on which it is based, not all areas are resolved. In short, the objectives of cooperation are not always clear and it is essential to understand that while MDGs focus solely on aid as the key support of everything, the SGDs gives greater importance to the necessary measures to carry out the best possible cooperation model based on progress2.
The lines of action that cooperation can and must follow are many, as we have seen throughout the course. Among the most important ones we can find: the fight against poverty, sustainable development, gender equality, poverty, help for humanitarian catastrophes, climate change, immigration ... etc.
The lines on which this cooperation is based are clear, as are the ways of doing it, either through cooperation agencies (governments), non-profit entities, individually ... but then, what is wrong? There is no doubt that neither cooperation nor the projects that are being carried out are delivering the results that were expected: the answer relies in the fact that perhaps the solutions are being focused where they will probably not be found and it is more an issue of how and why, and not how much3.
All countries should be aware of the role they play in society, just as each citizen should know the importance of their role in relation to this issue: each should learn about why it is important to cooperate. Therefore, only from training and education for development, addressing the problem from below, from the youngest, from individuals or schools, the problem can be addressed by governments, entities or, finally, countries.
Education for development offers a vision of the global world, a critical attitude towards ourselves and with others, fosters values in relation to citizenship and brings a more empathetic vision to everyone around us4. For this reason, education acquires such an important meaning within the scope of cooperation, since it not only facilitates a critical vision but also fosters values among the youngest ones such as solidarity, social justice, gender equality or the achievement of human rights.
But let's not deceive ourselves, the problem does not only lie in education and in the greater training of the countries: another essential issue is financing.
It is logical that we have to cooperate since it is the only system that facilitates the possible redistribution of wealth in the most equitable way possible on a global scale. Which data is relevant based on cooperation and funding? In conclusion, two appreciations can be highlighted. Firstly, national resources are greater than any other type of financing on a global scale; therefore, the outcome is much greater than the income, mainly due to the flight of capital. And secondly, global policies have not been developed effectively, so the most vulnerable and fragile countries suffer the most and, finally, private capital contributions are very scarce5.
After all, it is essential to provide greater funding for cooperation and development, being aware that transparency must be an important step to take, and that, therefore, governments must at all times specify where the funds are destinated, and on the basis that resources are assigned to departments that are not part of the health, immigration or inequality framework.
The global challenges have to be solved strategically and effectively. In this way, the countries that have more resources will obviously have to assume greater challenges than the rest.
Finally, another viable way to put a little light on the problem of cooperation would be to deepen into the legal aim. In other words, the legal identity of each system, entity or agency that takes side in cooperation and development.
1 https://ayudaenaccion.org/ong/blog/solidaridad/cooperacion-internacional-desarrollo/
2 ClassReading1: Alonso, J.A. and J. Glennie (2015), What is development cooperation?”: http://archive.ipu.org/splz-e/nairobi16/policy-brief.pdf
3 https://www.eldiario.es/zonacritica/cooperacion-desarrollo-funciona_6_716438361.html
4 http://www.aecid.es/ES/la-aecid/educaci%C3%B3n-y-sensibilizaci%C3%B3n-para-el-desarrollo/%C2%BFqu%C3%A9-es-la-educaci%C3%B3n-para-el-desarrollo
5. ClassReading2: Griffith, J. “Development finance.”: https://eurodad.org/1544219/
Lucia: this ia a hopeful blog, but I was left wondering what you refer to when you say in your title "a possible solution". What is not clear to me is what is the problem you are trying to solve. COuld you elaborate a bit on this? Prof. C. Freres
ResponderEliminarFrom Lucia: The problem we are dealing with is yes, first of all we know what cooperation deals with and what it consists of (this is the first step, we often try to solve problems that we do not even know that these problems are dealt with) Once this is done, we must be aware that perhaps the problem is related to education, country formation, raising awareness among people and students (mainly people) ... and not focusing solely on funding issues. Hence the title of "a possible solution", but looking for it in other areas that today have gone unnoticed.
ResponderEliminar