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Training Program: Governing for Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Development Actors under the New Aid Paradigm International Training Programme 2008 Host Institute: Institute of Development Policy and Management of the University of Antwerp (IOB)
The programme is sponsored by the Belgian government and targets senior staff from civil society organizations, government officials and local experts working for the donor community in low-income countries. Candidates must be professionally involved in the topic of the training. The selected participants will receive a full scholarship that will cover most of the expenses during their stay in Belgium. Programme content: Since 2000 official thinking about aid has shifted away from donor-led projects towards recipient-led sector programmes and direct support to the budget. As a consequence the tasks and contractual responsibilities of donor and recipient have been redrawn. Donors are willing to relinquish their hands-on control over the use of aid resources, in exchange for the right to be involved in policy dialogue with the government. They also contribute to the functioning of public institutions through capacity building, and seek a strengthening of accountability mechanisms, including accountability towards citizens. Civil society actors such as NGOs, Churches, community based organizations, gender advocacy groups, human rights organizations, research institutes and the media all are called upon to play a role in this new approach to aid. In addition, Parliamentarians, as the representatives of the citizens, are being increasingly acknowledged as crucial players. This leads to increasing interaction between donors, the government, Parliament, and a whole series of non-state actors. The training traces the evolution in the thinking on aid, provides a critical analysis of the underlying assumptions of the new approach to aid, and helps to understand the managerial and political challenges involved. It targets professionals working for the different stakeholders listed. For detailed information, consult the website at http://www.ua.ac.be/main.aspx?c=.IOBE&n=38556.
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