'Some key questions still remain to be answered to take full advantage of solutions offered by the leap-frogging development instrument of mobile banking.'
'DFID’s bullish focus on results is welcome, but there are different ways to achieve results. An Independent Commission for Aid Impact evaluation points in one direction: a ‘more hands-on approach’ for budget support.'
'The second REDD+ Partnership meeting of 2012 should be commended for its acknowledgment and frank discussion on these important issues. I left the meeting, however, without a clear sense of the pathway to progress.'
'Handing over policy implementation to any external organisation should be of concern. Under new proposals, the civil service would not only outsource the policy-making process to political organisations, but its constitutionally mandated accountability as well. If anything went wrong, where would the buck stop?'
‘High on the [NATO] summit’s agenda will be exit strategies and the buzz words ‘security transition’. Few are likely to be paying attention to the humanitarian consequences of troop withdrawal or addressing the human cost of their departure.’
'It’s not presently possible to say with confidence how much funding has been disbursed or where it’s going... consistent fast-start finance reports that provide detailed lists of projects and programs supported are needed'
'The level of ambition of those outside the Rio process is not matched by those within it. The last round of negotiations on the ‘Outcome document’ finished in New York at the end of last week, and the signs are that concrete agreements will be hard to come by.'
'Recognition of the need to reduce emissions from forests as part of efforts to avoid dangerous global warming has helped push forests up the political agenda. Whether these efforts are able to face head on the trade-offs and conflicts that exist and find solutions to these challenges will be one of its biggest tests.'
'The House of Commons International Development Committee (IDC) inquiry into EU aid and the OECD DAC peer review ran in parallel... the main findings of the evaluations were not dissimilar. However, the key takeaways from both reports are rather different.'
'A good communications strategy must start planning for obsolescence of a corporate website as a communications tool: it must look at how connections can be made between content and the social world, how information can be automatically posted on relevant platforms in the right format.'
'We need to look back, building on the lessons of the past decade on what works best for understanding the causes of and solutions to poverty. We also need to look forward, and respond to the changing world.'
'Current policy focus within the international community on the importance of regional bodies places too much attention on high-profile political groupings...To engage more effectively, it should look more closely at sub-regional and informal groupings and alliances. This involves a better understanding of the intricacies of west African politics and the power structures of sub-regional groupings.'
'There is clear recognition that inequality has retarded development and limited the ability of large sectors of the population to participate meaningfully in political, social, or economic processes -- a problem that has to be addressed head-on if it is to be solved.'
