From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec

FROM POVERTY TO POWERA decade on, this position looks prescient, although it should becomplemented by a growing role in facilitating exchanges of ideasfrom South to South, from South to North, and vice versa – recognisingthat many issues such as inequality, exclusion, environmental sustainability,or accountability are common to all countries irrespective oflatitude or longitude. Though the proposals are in need of a healthydose of humility, these roles would steer INGOs away from becomingsimply non-profit service providers. Above all, INGOs must keeptheir eyes firmly on the developmental prize of supporting (and neverpresuming to replace) active citizens and effective states.Aid is not a panacea for development, and aid alone will not ‘makepoverty history’. It can help or hinder developing countries on theroad to building active citizens and effective states, but it cannotsubstitute for the national development process. As one formerEritrean finance minister reflected at the time of the historicGleneagles G8 summit of 2005:By many measures, it’s been a great year for Africa, with debtrelief, awareness-raising concerts and G-8 leaders pledging moreaid. I’m gratified the world has turned so much attention to mycontinent. At the same time, a voice inside me wants to shout:‘Wait. This is not the way real development happens!’ …We continue to ignore the stark lesson that externally imposeddevelopment models haven’t gotten us far. The only way forward isfor Africa to drive its own bus and for the driver and passengers tobe in full agreement about where they’re going. That said, we doneed help filling up the tank. 171Putting aside delusions of omnipotence and omniscience is a vital firststep in making aid work for poor people. The rich countries’first priorityshould be to ensure that they ‘do no harm’. They must move from apaternalistic, post-colonial mindset to relationships based on mutualrespect between people facing many problems in common. They mustgive aid in ways that build government capacity and help buildaccountability to citizens, rather than fuel conflict or corruption orundermine state development. They must keep the promises made inthe heady days of 2005 and help ‘fill the tank’ by delivering more andbetter aid. The rest is up to the peoples and governments of thedeveloping world.380