The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2008

Saharan Africa, where the number of conflicts being waged fell by more than half between 1999 and 2006 and the combat toll dropped by 98 percent over the same period. The study is the product of the Human Security Report Project, which in 2005 produced the respected Human Security Report ( www.hum ansecurityreport.info/ ) . The HSRP’s research is supported by the govern- ments of Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. — Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor Africa Progress Panel Tracks Promises The world food crisis “threatens to destroy years, if not decades, of eco- nomic progress” in Africa, and the Group of Eight’s commitment to dou- ble aid to the continent by 2010 is seri- ously off-track. Those were among the main points of the Africa Progress Panel’s 2008 report, “Africa’s Develop- ment: Promises and Prospects,” re- leased by panel chairman Kofi Annan in mid-June ( www.africaprogresspanel. org/pdf/2008%20Report.pdf ). Despite progress on debt relief and significant increases in assistance by individual countries, the panel warns, the G-8 commitment is $40 billion short of its target. In the report assess- ing the state of the continent in 2008, six policy areas are surveyed: the food crisis, aid levels and aid quality, trade, climate change, infrastructure and good governance. The Africa Progress Panel was launched in April 2007 as a mecha- nism to hold world leaders to their commitments to Africa ( www.africa progresspanel.org/english/index.p hp ). It is an independent and author- itative body whose members comprise a unique repository of expertise on Africa and development. In addition to Kofi Annan, the panel currently includes former British Prime Minis- ter Tony Blair, former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus, musician and Live Aid founder Bob Geldof, for- mer Education Minister of Mozam- bique Graça Machel, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel Prize winner and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus, among others. — Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor Private Giving Rivals Official Aid The “big story” of the recent tragic events in Myanmar and China is not limited to governmental response, according to Dr. Carol C. Adelman, director of the Center for Global Prosperity at the Hudson Institute ( www.hudson.org ). Rather it is about “how private citizens, compa- nies, charities and religious organiza- tions have emerged as a front-line force” ( http://gpr.hudson.org/proj ects/articles/IHTop_ed6408Carol %20Adelman.pdf ). American corporations donated $90 million in aid to China (compared to $3.1 million by the U.S. govern- ment); in Myanmar, Americans donated $30.1 million (U.S. govern- ment aid totaled $24 million). In fact, today, private financial flows from all donor nations — including philanthropy, investments and remittances — account for over 75 percent of the industrialized world’s economic dealings with poor countries. In June, the Center for Global Pro- sperity released its second (and now annual) Index of Global Philanthropy 2008 documenting this new philan- thropic landscape ( http://gpr.hud son.org/ ) . “The traditional ‘donor-to- recipient’ model of foreign aid has been supplemented, if not supplanted, by public-private partnerships,” says Adelman. The new models are referred to as “social entrepreneur- ship,” “venture philanthropy,” or “cre- ative capitalism.” Significantly, private American phil- anthropy to poor countries, including remittances, dwarfs U.S. government foreign aid by more than four to one. Another report, this one from the Conference Board ( www.confer ence-board.org ) , argues for the new trend from the corporate perspective. “Corporate Responses to Humanitar- ian Disasters: The Mutual Benefits of Private-Humanitarian Cooperation” is available online at www.conference board.ca/documents.asp?rnext= 2554. While the latest Index of Global Philanthropy lists traditional philan- thropic organizations such as the Kel- logg and the Aga Khan Foundations, many “new and unexpected players” are becoming significant — such as Inter Milan, the Italian soccer team, which has helped more than 12,000 children in 17 countries gain access to soccer training, education and health care. Meanwhile, Internet giving or “e- philanthropy” has increased the ease and speed of donating. The I Do Foundation ( www.idofoundation. org ) encourages couples to link their wedding registries with their choice of charity. Kiva ( www.kiva.org/ ) , an online microfinance site, allows users to browse profiles of entrepreneurs in the developing world, lend them money and then track their progress. The index also documents the esti- mated $8.8 billion in international aid generated by American religious con- gregations, ranging from small church groups to larger organizations, such as the National Christian Foundation. Indeed, the reports provide inspir- ing glimpses into the world of private giving and compelling arguments for its benefits. But they also seem to beg the question: why does government aid pale in comparison? And what are the implications of this for ongoing efforts to reorganize government assis- tance? n — Ariana Austin, Editorial Intern 12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 8 C Y B E R N O T E S u