In Brussels on May 15th 2013, an international donor conference, organised by the European Union and France together with Mali and entitled “Together for a new Mali”, mobilised €3.25 billion of financial commitments and pledges for that country. Capacity4dev.eu looks at how it has been possible for the EU Delegation to Mali to continue to carry out development projects in the face of a security crisis. Topics:  Aid Effectiveness & Results Aid Procedures Development Policy Fragility & Crisis Situations yes read more

FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) are bilateral trade agreements between the European Union (EU) and partner countries aimed at guaranteeing that wood exported to the EU is from legal sources, and at supporting countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America in order to combat illegal logging and improve the governance of their forests. Topics:  Civil Society Environment & Climate Change read more

Source:  Forbes Article Link:  Read More Published Date:  04/25/2013 Jacqueline Vanacek of SAP reflects NDI’s recent conference at Stanford University that brought together policymakers, non-government organizations (NGOs), academics and technology experts from around the world to talk about how governments can use technology to engage citizens and improve governance and transparency. Vanacek touched on examples discussed during the conference—from countries like the U.S., India, Brazil and Tanzania, among many others—where governments and citizens are working together to use technology to improve democracy. “This is how creative we can be in playing with how technology enables new models to engage everyone in the democratic process. Consider how visionary Thomas Jefferson was when he said ‘Information is the currency of democracy.’” “Jefferson knew that a well-informed public is vital for the democratic process to work ‘for the people by the people.’ He further said that ‘Every generation needs a new revolution.’ Little did he know that ours would be the Internet revolution, with information beyond measure!”