David Cameron's record on development issues since the turn of the year does not emerge unscathed from close scrutiny. Photograph: Abdul Malik/Islamic Relief/DfID Confirmation that David Cameron is to co-chair the UN process to devise a new framework for international development after 2015 has opened the debate on whether he is a credible candidate for the role. Jonathan Glennie has rightly pointed out that the UK government's record on aid is not the issue here, nor is Cameron's new G8 food security initiative. This is a question of promoting lasting, sustainable development through structural changes to the global economy.On this basis, Cameron would seem the worst possible choice for the UN role. Yet, strangely, no one ever seems to mention the prime minister's record on ... Continue reading →
An internet cafe in Mogadishu. The Somali business community can play a central role in putting the country on the road to recovery. Photograph: Ismail Taxta/Reuters Despite – or perhaps because of – more than 20 years of war, Somalia has a remarkably strong private sector, particularly in the money transfer, telecommunications and livestock spheres. Yet, as the 2010 Inter-Agency Standing Committee evaluation of the humanitarian response in Somalia points out, aid agencies have failed to engage systematically the Somali private sector and disapora in their work.This is no small omission, given that remittances alone are estimated at $1bn-2bn (£6.3-12.6m) a year in Somalia – and this figure does not even take into account the vital role the diaspora plays in providing basic services such ... Continue reading →
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A 15-year-old girl seeking medical treatment waits at the Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) clinic in Monrovia after being raped. MSF in Liberia is encouraging get victims to come forward for treatment. Photograph: Glenna Gordon/AFP/Getty Images Husbands, not strangers or men with guns, are now the biggest threat to women in post-conflict west Africa, according to a report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) released on Tuesday.The IRC report, Let Me Not Die Before My Time: Domestic Violence in West Africa, based on data collected over 10 years by the IRC in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast, said domestic violence is the "most urgent, pervasive and significant protection issue for women in west Africa".It calls on the international community to recognise domestic violence as a ... Continue reading →
