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As Stakeholders, NGOs Have a Role in FfD - NGOs - Global policy Forum As Stakeholders, NGOs Have a Role in FfD
By Akhilesh Upadhyay
Inter Press Service
January 23, 2002
The North-South struggle came to a head when United States Monday expressed reservation over NGO participation in the preparation of the final document, the Monterey Consensus, to be adopted in Mexico in March. But the Venezuelan delegate, who represents 133- member Group of 77 at the preparatory meeting, said he welcomed the presence of NGOs.
At a press conference Tuesday, NGOs urged the Monterrey conference to make five "basic commitments"-- calling for increase in development assistance, cancellation of debts of the most impoverished countries, establishing the primacy of United Nations in world's development, and giving civil society a major say in economic decision-making. They said there had been little effort to introduce changes to systemic issues, perhaps the most contentious area.
"If we are stakeholders," said Hellen Wangusa of the World Council of Churches, "we should have place in the discussion. Issues that developing countries didn't agree in Doha have again been included in the [Monterey] draft." The donor governments must establish a timetable for meeting the 0.7 percent of ODA target, said Wangusa. "They should start with the Secretary General's challenge to double contributions to $100 billion within the next two or three years in order to reduce by half the numbers people living in extreme poverty by 2015."
NGOs say the FfD process has failed to live up to their expectations, a veiled attack to the US-led North, and Bretton Woods institutions, who they say are anxious to continue the status quo that has resulted in inequitable distribution of wealth. The FfD draft underlines the need to ensure that the multi-lateral financial institutions, particularly the IMF, have enough resources to provide time, accessible emergency financing though a suitable array of financial facilities. "Should there be another Asian crisis, the draft doesn't spell out what measures are in place to rescue the economies," said Martin Khor of the Penang-based Third World Network. The document talks about sound macroeconomic policies, he said, questioning the very wisdom of Bretton Woods institutions deciding what is sound.
NGOs argue the Highly Indebted Poor Countries' (HIPC) Initiative does not sufficiently strengthen the economic prospects and poverty reduction efforts of its beneficiary countries, "as they commit to sound policies." They have called for an enhanced effort to reduce debt in low-income countries to sustainable levels, "beyond speedy and full implementation of the HIPC initiative."
NGOs also question the idea put forward in the Monterrey draft that international trade is an engine for development. "How can a Nigerian woman operating a hand-held hoe compete with an American farmer who relies on mechanized farming?" asked Wangusa of Uganda. "Competition is key to trade but what if there is no level playing field?" UN, she said, is the only democratic space. "But if the IMF, World Bank and WTO are going to decide the final outcome, you aren't going to have coherent policies. UN has to regain its role in the world."
She said Seattle, Davos and Genoa were expression of anger, and frustration over a prolonged period where people at the grassroots level feel they aren't being listened to. Arjun Karki of Rural Reconstruction in Nepal said the take-it-or-leave-it-attitude has been much in display in the current FfD meet. "NGOs represent civil society. Attempts to push them out of constructive dialogue will only force them to take to the streets. There has been no sincere attempt to take lessons from Seattle, Davos and Genoa."
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