Great Achievements of HLF-4!

The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) has come to a close, resulting in the new Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which is a mixed bag in terms of the results that civil society was advocating for.
The Busan Partnership gives a new impetus for aid untying and the use of country systems- crucial areas for making aid contribute better to building the capacities that are needed to end aid dependency.
Some progress has been made on the core aid effectiveness agenda, with strengthened commitments on democratic ownership, using country systems and aid untying. Furthermore, China and other BRICs hesitantly moved under the new partnership’s umbrella.

European Union commits €53billion aid a year, make it count say NGOs

The world's biggest aid donor, the European Union, should stand up for ambitious proposals to tackle global poverty at the Busan High Level Forum(HLF4) aid summit say NGOs. CONCORD, Europe’s Relief and Development NGO confederation present in Busan, urges European leaders to make its extensive aid programme more effective at the conference. CONCORD insists $4billion could be saved per year by the EU if it implements better aid refroms and in this context, 62% of European citizens are in favour of increasing development aid to at least 0.7% of EU Gross National Income by 2015. Yet despite Europe’s global contribution to aid and its citizens support, NGOs express concern that the EU is going into Busan with weaker ambitions compared to the strong leadership it showed in 2008 at the last summit of its kind in Accra, Ghana.
“The EU has a positive role to play in supporting more effective aid policies. But we are disappointed to see that greater aid transparency is being blocked by certain EU countries.” says CONCORD President Justin Kilcullen. Also he urged that "EU hasn't show commitment of untying aid and improving local procurement of aid.
Along with EU, coutries attending HLF4 should wake up and strengthen the unity and willingness to improve aid effectiveness between countries in order to show advanced results since the previous HLF conference.

Nothing at Busan for African Women, Children

Some 250,000 mothers are estimated to die in Africa every year, leaving behind infants with reduced chances of making it beyond five years of age. Statistics by Save the Children, an international non-government organisation, reveal that African countries claim nine out of ten bottom places in a worldwide maternal health ranking that involves 164 countries. As HLF4 opens up, one of the questions that is being raised is whether African mothers and children can acquire substantial aid from the conference. Ben Philips of Save the Children says, "Unfortunately, the Busan Outcome document, which basically summarises the Forum’s platform for action beyond the conference, isn’t ambitious enough to improve aid effectiveness. For instance, there is no strong commitment to untie aid." 
In additon, experts on aid in Busan say that if donors had shown a strong commitment to untie aid as an outcome of the ongoing conference, this would have increased aid by 15 to 30 percent, consequently increasing the value of aid. And this is not the only way in which donors are letting African women and children down. Although the G-8 countries, comprising the world’s richest nations, committed to ensuring that 0.7 percent of their budget goes to aid. None of them has actualised this commitment. "There’s a clear aid deficit that makes it difficult for poor countries to channel money into sector budgets towards improving health services by employing qualified nurses and even having more health facilities in areas where the poor can easily access them," said Dan Badoo, a policy researcher.
Lastly, Philips emphasized, "When we say that this is the HLF 4, it all sounds so technical and elitist, but what the ordinary, poor persons really need is to experience how healthy aid can improve their lives, can give them better quality livelihoods and save dying mothers and infants."

Absence of the International Leadership on International Development

 In Paris in 2005 and Accra in 2008, donors around the world agreed on a set of key proposals. With the Busan Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) underway, donor countries must do better. For instance, some donor countries try to remove commitments on aid transparency from the Busan outcome document. While aid transparency is not going to solve all the problems of the development world, it is fundamental to being able to solve them - transparency will not stop corruption but it is a lot harder to beat corruption without it. It is vital not only for getting results but also for providing accountability to our taxpayers. Donor  countries have agreed to the basic principles set out in the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda, so Busan must be about the next steps.  Donors need to agree a further timetable for implementation and a monitoring framework. Crucially, all countries need to work together - HLF4 must be a multilateral effort. If one country pulls out of the transparency commitments, the basic principlse and overall effect of mutual aid policy will be fundamentally undermined. HLF-4 should not just be another photo opportunity where leaders substitute rhetoric for action. It has to become effective aid's opportunity for action.

Angel Gurria : From the ruins of the Korean War

Angel Gurria, secretary general of the OECD, said that Korea indeed is a role model for international aid because it joined into the ranks of developed countries after being in ruins from the Korean War.

Queen Rania : Focus on Education

Queen Rania of Jordan said that development aid should focus on education and that South Korea's high education fever is a good example. Also, that for the development aid to be sustainable, it consists of teaching how catch a fish rather than giving a fish.

Declaration of the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness

Change the paradigm of the international aid policy from 'aid effectiveness' to 'development effectiveness' and build a new comprehensive global partnership which embraces the principal donors such as industrialized and emerging countries, private donors, and more.
The Busan declaration, with the four common principles, includes △the ownership of the developing countries with development priorities △result-oriented from the central results △inclusive development partnership △transparency and mutual accountability.
In the four actions, adopt △a deepened and expanded democratic ownership of the development policies and processes △a strengthen effort to get concrete and sustainable results △support enlargement for the South-South triangular cooperation and support tailored to the needs and circumstances of individual country △ support for Development Cooperation activities so that it can act as a catalyst for development.

Speech from Rania Al Abdullah, the current Queen consort of Jordan

Rania Al Abdullah, the current Queen consort of Jordan, said that "When people invest one dollar, the most effective development aid is investment in girls. Thus, we need to invest in women who represent half of the world population and 40% of labor". 

Speech From US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that "from numerous studies, we have found out that countries that have invested in women and girls are likely to devlop more. As South Korea overcame the ruins from the Korean War through education, South Korea's investment in health and education is incredible".

Speech From The Chilean Prime Minister Michelle Bachelet

The Chilean Prime Minister Michelle Bachelet said that "women are responsible for half of the world food production and they poduce eighty-nine billion dollars of added value per year just in Asia, but their exertion ratio of the property rights is not even 1%". she also spoke that "if gender discrimination is not solve, we cannot expect the economic development".

Paul Kagame rwanda president learning from ROK

Paul Kagame rwanda president said with anticipation "During the time when ROK made economic growth with foreign aid and transformed into a aid giving country, with it's support fund more than 1billion dollars, Africa's income has dropped lower than 1970 and more than half of its population is suffering from poverty."

OECD secretary general : ROK, a powerful nation

Angel Gurria OECD secretary general said "ROK was once the world's poorest country, but now it became a powerful nation with economic growth, strong leadership, moral consciousness, and participation of private sector which developing countries want to learn." He also said "The world is watching ROK holding HLF-4 how they will make results in discussing about the better life."

Joint conference about Busan HLF-4

Angel Gurria OECD secretary general and Kim Sung-hwan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade will hold a joint news conference in 11:45A.M. before the closing ceremony of Busan HLF-4.

Announcement of the 'Political Statement' by the leaders of the countries participating in the High Level Forum On Aid Effectiveness, Busan.

1. At the High Level Forum On Aid Effectiveness, Busan on 30th Nov, our government announced the 'Political Statement' which states the support and the implementation of the results achieved during the forum, by the representatives of various countries including the president Lee Myung Bak, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the US secretary of state Hilary Clinton, and the representatives of various international organisations and agencies.
 o Support on the result document at the Busan Forum.
 o With the appearance of the emerging countries and new private sector, clarification of the establishment of the new comprehensive partnership covering the introduction of new development model like South-South cooperation and the geographical change in development cooperation.
  - Tolerance of variety and approval of the role of the emerging groups.
  - The development cooperation through new partnership will act as a catalyst to mobilize various resources for the pratical development of developing countries.
 o Regulation of Shared Principle and Actions between various developers, and emphasis on the political leadership for development.
   ※ 4 Shared Principles: The ownership of the developing countries, results-oriented, comprehensive partnership for development, mutual transparency and responsibility.
 o Realization of the effect of the development on the global security and prosperity, and set the development as the prior policy goal.
 o Implementation of the result documents arisen at the Busan Forum, especially emphasis on the leadership and mutual responsibility for the each country's implementation.

2. This 'Political Statement' is evaluated as the opportunity to unite the political wills of the various representatives of the globe to establish new comprehensive 'development partnership' which will provide effective development cooperation beyond simple aid.

3. Also, through explanation of the result documents of the Busan Forum in simple words, public understanding and support will be achieved, which will in the expansion of the public support on the development cooperation.

HLF4 Gender Equality Session

At this moment in the High Level Forum On Aid Effectiveness, Busan, a special session for the gender equality is being held which has its attendance including, the US secretary of state Hilary Clinton and the president of East Timor Jose Ramos Horta.
In today's session, enhancement of gender equality for developmental outcome and the strengthening of female capabilities will be discussed.
It seems that the US secretary of state Hilary Clinton, in her speech, will emphasize the importance of investment on female and strengthening economies for the development of developing countries.

The Keynote speech of the president Lee Myung Bak at the High Level Forum On Aid Effectiveness, Busan

The president Lee Myung Bak promised that South Korea would become the true partner with the developing countries for the global development, sharing its experiences of success and failure.
He said that the history of the development of South Korea since the Korean War, is the vivid experience for hardworking Koreans who tried to achieve better lives to come out of poverty.
He also said that despite the poverty, South Korea has successfully developed education and, achieved industrialization and democratization with the help of foreign aids. And now, it is time to move forward along with the world.
The president Lee Myung Bak said that the global economic crisis in 2008 could be overcome by policy cooperation of developed and developing countries, and emphasized that the developing countries are not the objects for aid but the important partners to achieve the sustained growth and the balanced development of the global economy.

Opening of the 4th High Level Forum On Aid Effectiveness, Busan on 29th Nov.

The forum discussing on 'empowering ability to developing countries' and 'South-South co-operation', will attract the attention as this forum will attemp to change the international trend of aid from 'aid effectiveness' to 'development effectiveness'.

In the 'South-South co-operation' forum, the active discussions will take place on the topics of the change of the role of the developed countries and the improvement of the southern hemisphere countries' co-operation which is gaining its importance lately for the development.

4th High Level Forum will be held in Busan!

HLF-4 will be held for the fourth time in Busan followed by the previous three forums which were held in 2003 Rome, in 2005 Paris and in 2008 Accra and the first country to become the donor country from the beneficiary country.

Since the end of the Korean War, when its per capita national income was only $67, Korea has achieved tremendous development with the help of the foreign aid to become the top 10 largest economy in the world. Last Year, Korea became the 24th member of the Development Assistance Committee(DAC), the subordinate body of the the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD), becoming the donor country to aid other nations.

Particulary, with the help of the foreign aid, Busan developed as the international city being the world's top 5 port city, where HIL-4 will be held. After the Korean War, Busan was the city unloading the foreign aid goods, but now it became the world's top 5 port city, which gives symbolic meaning to the recipient countries.

KDI & KAIDEC holds HLF-4 advance conference

Korea Development Institute(KDI) in collaboration with the Korean Association of International Development holds a HLF-4 advance conference to discuss new agendas of the world which are aid and development effectiveness, co-responsibility for development cooperation, differentiated approach, sharing knowledge for empowerment , and development cooperation on 28th of Nov at Busan Centum hotel

An Interview with Jeffrey Sachs about HLF-4

Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University who will be participating in 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness(held in Busan, South Korea) as a main speaker says that "a social imbalance can be overcome by IT industry, so we expect the contributions of the Korean Government and corporations."