Message-ID: <Pine.3.88.9505171601.A2212-0100000@cheetah.uwo.ca> Date: Wed, 17 May 1995 16:54:34 -0400 From: "c. leite" <mailto:cleite@JULIAN.UWO.CA> Subject: Re: Africa To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L
With respect to "appropriately" directing aid, anecdotal and other evidence certainly suggests that some routes, e.g. NGOs and very specific community-based projects, are relatively more effective. In the long-term, however, I believe the "best" alternative is to insist that reasonably effective accounting procedures be developed as the West appears to be doing with Palestine. It may also be advisable to hold leaders personally responsible for the eventual allocation of aid funds. In this regard it would be extremely helpful to abolish this idea of untraceable bank accounts. They seem to serve only one purpose: allow scam artists and bankers to profit from crime.Three things are clear: (1) we are interested (at least some of the time) that aid get to the people who bear most of the burden, (2) these people either have relatively little info or ability/willingness to hold their own government accountable, and (3) we believe that holding governments accountable is a good thing. It would then seem straightforward for the UN (or the OECD if the UN "fumbles" the ball again) to set out some clear-cut objectives and guidelines with respect to allocation/tracing of aid funds. Countries not living up to such guidelines would be excused from receiving further government-government aid. Such actions might well be the very best thing we could do for those people suffering in utter misery because it certainly is clear to me that current aid programs had only helped to make people like Mr. Mobutu extremely rich.
Carlos Leite <mailto:cleite@julian.uwo.ca>