Publications

Disease- or health-determinant specific programmes are important components of any health agenda. Such programmes respond to specific health threats, whether perceived or real. They are set up because the control of these threats requires a focused approach and interventions. In Low-Income Countries (LICs), however, most of these programmes fall short of their ambition because, for full implementation, human resources for health (HRH) are not, or cannot, be made available (in quantity or in quality) where they are needed most.

The Sector Policy Review Tool offers a kit for involving important stakeholders more directly in reviewing health sector development, including specific programmes or areas within the health sector. It is made up of an introduction and several modules that guide different aspects of the review process. This booklet contains the introduction to how to use the SPR Tool using Module 1 as an example. It is available in English and French.

Renewed attention exists for agricultural development in SSA as the engine for rural development. This results in part from the drive for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and in particular MDG 1: a 50% reduction of (predominantly rural) poverty in SSA. It is realized that in order to achieve the MDGs, a more effective approach to innovation for agricultural development is needed. The opportunities presented through the World Trade Agreements have led to changing roles of the three main groups of actors (i.e. public, private and civil society), in agricultural service delivery. At the same time, urgent demands for technological innovation have led to important organizational and institutional innovations in the local Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (AKISs). Decentralization of public administration and deconcentration of service delivery have encouraged empowerment of FGs and farmer organizations in agricultural innovation. Slowly the local innovation system is shifting from a linear ‘Transfer of Technology’ (TOT) process (from research to extension to farmers) to a more systemic partnership-based co-innovation process. FGs and farmer organizations are to play a stronger role at different levels in the national and local innovation systems with a formalized farmer representative role at national and meso-levels.

En 1994, le gouvernement néerlandais signait les Accords de développement Durable avec les gouvernements du Bénin, du Bhoutan et du Costa Rica. Ces accords visaient deux objectifs majeurs : Promouvoir le développement durable et établir de nouveaux schémas de relation entre les pays du Nord et les pays du Sud. Le cœur essentiel des traités est constitué par l’alinéa 1 de l’article 1, qui exprime la mission même de ces accords. Le texte en est le suivant : « Les deux Gouvernements conviennent d’établir entre leurs pays respectifs une coopération de longue durée basée sur l’égalité et la réciprocité ainsi que sur la concertation et l’assistance mutuelle, en vue de promouvoir efficacement un développement durable sous tous ses aspects, avec la participation de tous les groupes sociaux concernés. »

Le Sommet Mondial pour le Développement Durable de 2002 à Johannesburg a introduit « l’émergence d’un glissement entre la valse guindée de la diplomatie traditionnelle et l’improvisation créatrice de partenariats orientés solutions. »1 Au contraire de la précédente Conférence des Nations Unies pour le Développement Durable en 1992 à Rio de Janeiro, les engagements impératifs intergouvernementaux ont été moins mis en avant à Johannesburg et aucun traité majeur n’a été destiné à une (re)négociation. Ceci s’est vu partiellement compensé par les partenariats bénévoles entre ONG, entreprises, gouvernements, communautés locales et organisations internationales. Quelque 280 de ces partenariats ont été enregistrés au SMDD, impliquant une somme de plus de 200 millions de dollars en ressources nouvelles et complémentaires.

La gestion de filière durable englobe les effets économiques, écologiques et
sociaux qui se produisent au cours du cycle de vie d’un produit et se concentre sur les mesures visant à améliorer la durabilité.

Around the world new information and communication technologies (ICTs) have changed the lives of individuals, organizations and indeed, entire nations. No country and few communities are being left untouched by the ‘information society’ and, given the state of recent inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder policy debates, there is still a long way to go before civil rights are entrenched in this new society. This book is a collection of case studies about women and their communities in developing countries and how they have been influenced by ICTs. As this chapter and the following cases explain, ICTs and policies to encourage their development can have profound implications for women and men in terms of employment, education, health, environmental sustainability and community development. Policy is needed to ensure that investment in ICTs contributes to more equitable and sustainable development as these technologies are neither gender-neutral nor irrelevant to the lives of resourcepoor women.

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Multidrug treatment (MDT) was introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1982 and was seen as an instrument for the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem, defined as a national prevalence less than 1/10,000. However, even after 20 years of MDT, case detection rates (CDRs) are not decreasing, indicating that patients are probably not the only source of transmission; subclinically infected persons and contacts of patients have also been implicated.Therefore, it is necessary to examine interventions which include these groups of potentially infectious persons.

Decentralisation, in its simplest definition, is a form of governance that transfers authority and responsibility from central to intermediate and local governments (ODI 2002). In much of the development literature decentralisation of government has been treated as a technical exercise involving administrative and institutional reform to improve performance and planning and to make allocative decisions efficient and transparent. The idea of decentralisation is linked to subsidiarity which means that what can be done efficiently and effectively at the lowest level of government should be done at that level and not at higher levels (Issac 2000). Economists justify decentralisation on the grounds of allocative efficiency, enhanced policy responsiveness and effectiveness especially of poverty reduction programmes. The assumption is that because decisions are being taken in a local constituency citizens will have more control over decisions taken and it will reflect their preferences.

O objectivo geral para as actividades do triplo A (AAA: Analytical and Advisory Activities) é de reforçar e consolidar a capacidade das equipas nacionais (do Banco Mundial) e dos parceiros clientes para integração estratégica e sistémica da abordagem de CDD nos estratégias programas nacionais para a redução da pobreza. AAA esta ligado a demanda especifica da Conferencia de CDD de Burkina Faso para apoio adicional do Banco para incorporar de CDD nos programas gerais. AAA também for desenhado para atingir directamente um dos ‘benchmarks’ chaves do Quadro Estratégico do Banco para África, que é que a CDD será integrada nas estratégias nacionais baseado no quadro melhorado de resultados e na integração de CDD e apoio macro na estratégia de anti-shock. O quadro de analises e planificação para atingir este ‘benchmark’ agora não existe, e o objectivo desta AAA é ortanto de desenvolver, avaliar e disseminar este quadro.

The Operational Guide aims to be helpful to people working in the development sector, whether they find themselves in government, international development organisations, NGOs or community organisations. It specifically targets those working in the field of HIV/AIDS, but it also hopes to be of use to development programmers and practitioners in a more general sense

Leprosy is feared because of the deformities and disability that it may cause. Successful leprosy treatment should prevent or heal deformities and disabilities. Most of these are secondary complications of impaired of nerve function, often caused by immunological reactions against M. leprae antigens. Unfortunately, people remain at risk of neuropathy resulting from such reactions during and even after successful anti-leprosy treatment

Partnerships have always played an important role in leprosy control. The World Health Organization (WHO) and national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provide a significant supportive function in partnership with national governments. Among the NGOs involved, the members of the Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP), The Nippon Foundation, Novartis and the World Bank have played a prominent role. Partnership can be defined as: ‘Inter-organizational relationships involving activities (beyond that which contracts or authority alone would demand) aimed at achieving shared goals based upon close working relationships’. There are more definitions of partnership but they usually include these common themes: commitment to shared objectives; mutuality, equality and open dialogue; sense of trust and respect between the partners; and reciprocal obligations and accountability

In 1994 ondertekende de Nederlandse regering bilaterale duurzame-ontwikkelingsverdragen (dovs) met de regeringen van Bhutan, Benin en Costa Rica. Doel was het opbouwen van een nieuw relatiepatroon tussen rijke en arme landen, met mondiale duurzame ontwikkeling als drijfveer. Deze nieuwe samenwerking zou wederkerig, gelijkwaardig en participatief zijn. De vier regeringen verdienen credits voor de moed om dit experiment in beleidsinnovatie te starten.

It is generally accepted that genetic factors play a role in susceptibility to both leprosy per se and leprosy type, but only few studies have tempted to quantify this. Estimating the contribution of genetic factors to clustering of leprosy within families is difficult since these persons often share the same environment. The first aim of this study was to test which correlation structure (genetic, household or spatial) gives the best explanation for the distribution of leprosy patients and seropositive persons and second to quantify the role of genetic factors in the occurrence of leprosy and seropositivity.