Germany's Middle East and North Africa policy: interests, strategies, options

Talking of German interests in the Middle East and North Africa is frowned upon in German policy circles. Preferred is a reference to the normative power and Germany's role in the European Union. Authors of a recent publication (pdf in German) of the German Institute for International Politics and Security are convinced that interests and policy targets need to be made clear and should be embedded in a long-term regional strategy. The study includes articles dealing with Israel and Palestine, Iraq, the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, Iran and the Maghreb as well as with the cross-cutting issues energy, migration and terrorism.

In her contribution about the Maghreb, Isabelle Werenfels writes about a region which was marginalized in German foreign policy until questions of energy security, terrorism and migration appeared on the policy agenda. She concludes that a regional strategy is not existent. Instead, Germany is dealing with each country bilaterally and further actively contributes to the European Mediterranean Policy. The Solar Energy Plan of the EU which was initiated by Germany provides opportunities for a more intensified cooperation.

Steffen Angenendt writes about the pressure caused by irregular and illegal migration from and within the Middle East and North Africa. He calls on the Europeans to take a closer look at migration flows within these regions which are a threat to regional stability. Angenendt also criticizes the European asylum restrictions which make it almost impossible to get refugee status and leaves illegal migration as the only option.

Guido Steinberg summarizes that the greatest German concerns in the Middle East and North Africa are the regional conflicts between Israel and Palestine and the hegemony struggle between Iraq, Iran and Saudi-Arabia. It is in Germany's interest to maintain and improve regional stability. However, this should not lead to the acceptance of autocratic regimes as the best of two evils. It means strengthening democratic change and social transformation processes which are needed to achieve sustainable development. If no room for democratic opposition will be given new conflicts and terrorism will be the consequence.

The appearance of new actors like Russia, China or India as new potential partners for the region without a democratization agenda makes it difficult for Germany and Europe to insist on democratic reforms. Therefore Steinberg makes a plea for an active German role to solve the refugee crisis in the region which will help to overcome the humanitarian drama, minimize the conflict risk and bring valuable influence on the new elite of the region once the refugees return.

by Martin Behrens

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Escalation of violence in Afghanistan: Political consequences for the German engagement

Although the engagement of the international community has widened in geographical scope, time frame and deployment over the last 7 years, the situation in Afghanistan remains extremely fragile. Even the newly elected US President Obama recently stated that the war cannot be won and suggested negotiations with moderate Taliban leaders.

A Policy Paper (pdf in German) of the German Development and Peace Foundation looks at the underlying causes of the impasse and formulates policy recommendations for the international community in general and German decision makers more in particular.

Increasing violence in Afghanistan raises pressure to deploy more troops, however there is evidence that the rapid expansion of the international military presence is one of the causes of the insecure situation. The authors are convinced that a political solution needs to be found. Therefore, Germany should resist sending more military. The existing troops should have a clear mandate as stabilization and security force and should not be involved in combat operations.

As the main reason for the persistent fragility the author identifies the failed state-building in Afghanistan. A central government was quickly installed, however further steps to extend state power to the Afghan provinces were not made. In fact several actions of the central government and the international community spoiled the prestige of the government in Kabul.

Firstly one could point at the centralization of governance in contrast to Afghanistan's heterogeneity, and the actual lack of capacity of the Kabul institutions to meet the expectations. Secondly there was the cooperation of Kabul with former warlords that were discredited by the Afghan population. The failure of the international community to build a reliable legal system and police force, to a big share under the responsibility of the German government, further worsened the situation. Also the reconstruction and humanitarian activities did not support the state-building process. The demand for fast results led to an approach that favored local initiatives and international NGOs for the implementation instead of state involvement.

The authors demand a rethinking of the Afghanistan Strategy and a strong support of the state-building process. Only when state-building becomes the main priority of the international community in Afghanistan, the German government should consider an enhanced engagement with human and financial resources.

by Martin Behrens

See the Euforic newsfeed and dossier on peace and security

See also ICCO on Democratization and Peacebuilding

German NGOs criticize military engagement in reconstructing Afghanistan

Venro, the German Association of NGDOs, criticize (pdf in German) the so called 'Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan under German command.

The teams, which usually consist of 250-300 soldiers plus some civil experts, aim to promote security and stability in the Afghan provinces and actively engage in reconstruction and humanitarian assistance, security sector reform and political dialogue with the Afghan population. According to Venro, these measures are meant to enhance the acceptance of the military thus increase force protection.

The German NGOs claim that the overlap of military and civil activities spoils the neutrality of NGOs thus worsening their security situation. While development actors are strictly guided by a humanitarian imperative, the German military which is increasingly engaging in combat missions follows clear political interests thus is part of the conflict environment.

The authors quote a statement by the International Red Cross: “The distinction between humanitarian, political and military action becomes blurred when armed forces are perceived as being humanitarian actors, when civilians are embedded into military structures, and when the impression is created that humanitarian organizations and their personnel are merely tools within integrated approaches to conflict management. "

The report demands that the German military concentrates on stabilizing and security activities which should primarily serve the Afghan population and leave humanitarian aid, reconstruction and development assistance to civil actors.

The report further argues that the advantages for force protection due to reconstruction activities of the military are hardly evident and are clearly outweighed by the risks for civil personnel. Additionally Venro demands a military exit strategy which would increase the credibility by showing that the international community is striving to bring peace and security to Afghanistan and does not only look for its own strategic interests.

by Martin Behrens

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Development assistance in France and Germany - a plea for more cooperation

Harmonization and donor coordination are high priorities on the development agenda in Europe. A recent paper (pdf in German) by the 'German Council on Foreign Relations' (DGAP) explores the issue using the example of bilateral cooperation between France and Germany.

The paper describes the institutional framework which is the basis of the their development cooperation and sheds light on their policy priorities and regional focus. The authors come to the conclusion that both states hold a genuine position among European donor countries which is characterized by their absolute spending on development cooperation on bilateral, European and multilateral level, and their influence on the policy making of the European Union.

They show that close cooperation between the French and German administrations already exists through the so called Elysée Treaty, i.e. cooperation between the implementation agencies AFD and KfW. There is also regional cooperation, especially in the West African region.

The authors suggest a stronger focus on institutional reform in both countries to increase aid effectiveness and plea for even closer cooperation between France and Germany to accelerate the EU reform process and enhance cooperation between member states.

by Martin Behrens

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Shadow Report on German Development Cooperation – support for tax and public revenue systems

The 2008 shadow report (in German) on German Development cooperation sheds light on the German support for public finance systems that enhance developing countries' capacity to fight tax evasion and capital flight.

Each year, tax evasion and capital flight cause some US$ 500 Billion to be lost as public revenue for developing countries, which is 5 times as much as total ODA. Although case studies show the enormous effectiveness of money spent to support tax and public revenue systems, only 0,07% of global ODA is actually spent on this. Reasons might be the unattractiveness of such measures, as compared to support for health or education. Furthermore the international trend of deregulation, decentralization and privatization for a long time has not supported projects that aim to increase government incomes. With the development discourse on 'good governance' and 'ownership' the issue became more important.

Recent calculations of the UN Millennium Project show that even if all donors would reach the ODA target of 0,7% immediately, it would not be enough to achieve the MDGs. For this the development countries themselves need to increase their public spending on poverty alleviation, hunger and social protection. According to the UN, there is a huge potential to increase public income if one compares economic strength and actual public revenue in developing countries.

The German Ministry for Development Cooperation identifies programmes to increase local public resources as one priority for the upcoming Doha Conference on Development Finance in December. The shadow report notes an increase of resources allocated for this purpose within the German ODA. However Germany ranks 9th among the biggest donors in this area with the UK spending more the 5 times as much. Furthermore German engagement is fragmented, uncoordinated and lacking clear political orientation, according to the authors of the report.

The 'Shadow Report of German Development Cooperation' is published by Terre des Hommes Germany and Welthungerhilfe and is seen as a critical counterpart to the OECD-DAC report regarding German cooperation. It analyses whether promises by the German government are actually met.

by Martin Behrens

Read BMZ statement on the report

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German experts call for a different development policy towards Africa

In a concise appeal (in German), senior experts of German development cooperation have called for a revision of German development policy towards Africa.

They criticize the belief that the West could develop Africa. The fact that development workers take on too much power would paralyze self-initiative and African ownership. Furthermore they criticize the assumption that redistribution of wealth via increased aid would improve the situation. According to the critics, more money tends to have inverse effects and if distributed via budget aid would additionally increase corruption and bad governance.

The authors call for:

• Decentralization of German aid to country embassies and the liquidation of the current multiple aid structure with various government agencies responsible for development cooperation
• Strong orientation towards non-state actors
• Concentration on education, micro-finance and work-intensive infrastructure improvements
  

The appeal, which was signed by former German ambassadors, high-ranking politicians and scientists, provoked harsh criticism (in German) by Germany’s development community. They accuse the critics of painting a cut and dried picture of a rather complex environment that ignores the importance of good governance and the role of the state as well as international trade structures.

Willing to kick-off a comprehensive discussion on German aid, the authors of the appeal agreed to further elaborate responses on the criticized issues in a second paper.

See the Euforic newsfeed on German Development Cooperation

Sustainable finance, aid effectiveness and poverty alleviation in the new global aid architecture

Realizing that achievement of the MDGs is endangered, the German Association of NGDOs, Venro, recently published two position papers for the Accra Forum on Aid Effectiveness and the 2rd World Conference on Development Finance.

While welcoming the international commitment to the successful implementation of the ‘Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness’ Venro criticises several aspects, including the:

• missing notion of pro-poor growth and adequate consideration of economic, social and cultural rights
• strong focus on governments while neglecting parliaments and non-state actors
• neglecting of the global economic framework including the development of global commodity prices and global trade policy
• ownership principle which is not balanced with political conditionality
• harmonisation which endangers the diversity of development approaches (see pdf, in German).

Regarding the “Financing for Development” Process, Venro argues that it would not be in the interest of CSOs to see the upcoming conference become a simple reviewing exercise. Directed to the German government Venro calls for a fast implementation of the UN Convention against corruption, extension of budget support in good performing partner countries, strengthened cooperation between Germany's Technical and Financial Cooperation institutions and a further discussion of the concept regarding the cancellation of illegitimate debts (see pdf, in German).

by Martin Behrens

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Visit our German Cooperation dossier or subscribe to the newsfeed.

See also the WECA Project of the European Center for Development Policy and Management dealing with issues of Aid Management, Ownership and Accountability.

Taking stock of German contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS

92% of people infected with HIV/AIDS live in developing countries, two thirds of them in Sub-Sahara Africa. During a 2006 UN High-Level Meeting, donors committed themselves to achieve universal access to prevention, therapy and care by 2010. The same assembly met this month to take stock of the progress made and to look at the challenges ahead.

A recent civil society report (in German) assesses the German contribution towards this UN goal. According to the authors, the German government showed considerable efforts regarding the further development of strategies and concepts against HIV/AIDS. Furthermore the report mentions the stronger consideration of civil society contributions and the improved civil society dialogue. It is especially positive regarding the German engagement regarding gender mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS concepts and progress in formulating an EU declaration against the enticement of health workers from developing countries.

Nonetheless, the report criticizes the gap between political declarations and actions. Germany's financial support for general health and HIV/AIDS programmes is still behind its obligations and below average by international comparison. Furthermore there is incoherency with German trade policy (i.e. patent rights).

The civil society report calls for stronger financial contributions to health systems in general and specifically HIV/AIDS therapy, prevention and care.

by Martin Behrens

Read more (in German) about Germany's policy on HIV/AIDS.

See newsfeed on German development cooperation.

Social security in German development cooperation

Social security grows in importance as a development issues. Secure access to social services, especially for the poor, is seen as a basic condition for sustainable economic development.

The argument that only rich countries can effort social security was disproved by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It claims that systems which offer minimal levels of social security for everybody can be financed by national resources with support of international donors.

While the costs would be manageable, the effects on poverty reduction could be enormous. An ILO simulation for Senegal and Tanzania showed a reduction by 40 percent with the introduction of an universal pension system for the old and orphans. The ILO estimates this will cost 3% of GDP.

The development and support of social security programs is an important part of Germany's development cooperation. The development agencies GTZ (technical cooperation) and KfW (financial activities) support various projects in this field and plan to extend their activities.

A recent resolution of the German parliament calls on the German government to make social security a priority of development policy. The German experience and success in the development and maintenance of social security systems should be seen as an asset to help developing countries. The resolution, which is supported by the main parties of the German Bundestag, criticises the long focus on economic development which lead to the neglect of the social dimension.

Story by Martin Behrens


See also the UN debate on social security

Visit the Euforic dossier on German development cooperation.

See the Euforic news feed on health and governance.

BMZ Action Plan on Human Rights and Development Cooperation 2008-2010

The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) recently released its new Action Plan (in German) on Human Rights and Development Cooperation 2008-2010. It aims to continue and deepen the systematic streamlining of human rights in German development cooperation.

BMZ sees the following as some of the challenges for the period until 2010:

• to address the structural causes of poverty and exclusion
• to ensure that economic growth is accompanied by human right protection
• to increase aid effectiveness and donor harmonization
• to address human rights and climate change

Among others, the BMZ wants to implement the following measures:

• to continue the political dialogue with partner countries on the enhancement of economic, social, cultural, civil and political human rights
• to support international transparency initiatives such as EITI and to support regional and national human rights institutions
• to address the relationship of human rights and climate change
• to work on the actualization of the EU Commission's Communication on Human Rights
• to advocate a stronger orientation of international finance institutions on human rights
  
• to strengthen the dialogue with private sector and international corporations on human rights

The Action Plan was welcomed by German civil society organizations. While most of the measures are embraced by the German Forum for Human Rights, one of the key NGO networks in Germany, it points out some missing concrete steps: to protect human rights defenders and measures to institutionalize cooperation with civil society.

See Euforic dossier on German Development Cooperation; and our news feeds in German and on human rights

by Martin Behrens

Merger plans within German Development Cooperation buried

According to the news portal Spiegel online, plans circulating within Germany's Development Cooperation to merge the German Development Bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) are about to fail.

According to the article, no other country has such a large number of different development assistance institutions, leading to a loss of efficiency and aid effectiveness.

Especially the double structure of the afore mentioned aid institutions with dual planning structures and administrative staffs uses a high portion of Germany's annual aid budget.
Furthermore, both organisations work in almost the same sectors and often operate in parallel.

Even the OECD calls the German government to reform its aid administration and to keep to the tasks of the Paris Declaration, which demands better coordination and abolition of red tape in order to avoid an inefficient spending of aid money.

The Spiegel article mentions the strong resistance of the GTZ and KfW staff, which is worsened by different political associations of the directors of both organisations as possible reasons for the delay. Furthermore the leading ministry, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), experiences opposition from the Federal Ministry of Finance which would, according to the merger plans, lose power over the development bank, which would be under new jurisdiction of the development ministry.

Currently it looks as if the BMZ will not be able to take the pressure. Instead of implementing the original plans, it is looking for ways to incorporate smaller organisations such as the German Development Service (DED) and InWEnt into GTZ.

According the German expert for development assistance Franz Nuscheler this will not help to change to current situation and is only pushed by the BMZ so as to save face.

by Martin Behrens

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