Member Profile for DIE, Bonn

Dialogue 1: ODA graduation in times of changing global relations and partnerships
The right to receive official development assistance (ODA) has been linked to a definition that relates “developing” with certain levels of gross domestic product per capita, irrespective of transformative needs, such as exemplified in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Increasing GDP levels lead to a growing number of developing countries “graduating” to the status of non-ODA receivers. International development cooperation has been focused on a rather narrow understanding of development which is now surpassed by the need to engage in universal transformation processes which requires a strengthening and reinvention of international cooperation. In this chapter, Imme Scholz (DIE) and Elizabeth Sidiropoulos (SAIIA) discuss the following questions with Andreas Proksch and Juliane Kolsdorf (GIZ): What are the overarching issues determining world politics and who are the old and the new actors driving them? What is the impact of these global shifts on international cooperation, especially development cooperation? Of what relevance are roles, status and categories and what is the impact of changes in positions and relations? What challenges face multilateralism and what ways exist to maintain and renew strategic partnerships and shared values?

Coordination beyond the state to solve complex water problems: insights from South Africa
South Africa’s water legislation is recognised for its ambitious adoption of Integrated Water Resource Management. However, implementation is hindered by conflicting hierarchical and network-based governance styles and lack of coordination between western administration and traditional authority.

Im Spannungsfeld von Wasser-, Energie- und Landwirtschaftspolitik: Neue Wege für den Wasserschutz in der Weser-Ems-Region
Die intensive Tierhaltung in der Weser-Ems-Region gilt als Hauptverursacher der Nitratbelastung im Grundwasser. Die Analyse von Koordination und Kooperation zeigt, dass die fehlende Abstimmung zwischen Wasser-, (Bio-)Energie- und Landwirtschafts-Gesetzgebung maßgeblich zur Problemlage beiträgt.

Forums, fees and data flows: coordinating mining and water policy in Mongolia
Mineral and metal extraction threatens water quantity and quality in Mongolia. While good legal provisions for coordination exist, a lack of stakeholder involvement, data availability, human and financial capacity, and general transparency and accountability hinder their implementation.

Warum nachhaltiges Wassermanagement im Bergbau Komplexität berücksichtigen muss
Bei Bergbauunternehmen wächst zunehmend das Bewusstsein dafür, dass sie ihre Wasserrisiken besser eindämmen und intensiver den Dialog auf Augenhöhe suchen müssen. Dabei können Forschungsansätze, die Unternehmen, Gemeinden und staatliche Behörden mit Hinblick auf ihre sozialen Bindungen untersuchen, helfen Chancen und Hindernisse besser zu identifizieren.

Beyond vested interests: reforming international co-operation post COVID 19
Governments around the world have taken action to reduce the socio-economic impacts of the lockdown, mainly be investing in social protection schemes, but often they have not been able to cover all those in need. After initial difficulties in international coordination, the challenge now lies in reconciling pandemic control with the sustainable development goals: climate protection, economic consequences, inequality, conflicts, and basic human demands. But, the international co-operation system as it exists today, however, does not seem to be fit to adequately deal with this complex situation. Therefore, truly global, international co-opration should take a shared interest in the global common good as its starting point, forging solid alliances and institutions that protect it.

Digital sidewalks: using urban theory to understand technology use among migrants in Bogota
When we think about how digitalization and the internet affect the lives and opportunities for migrants, it is important to think beyond the supply side of having a smartphone and affording mobile data. For development agencies and municipalities who want to use technology in their work, they also have to think about demand. The meaning that people find in the neighborhood around them, through connections to the characters that make up the community, drives demand for digital connections. If development practitioners focus on creating the social, political and legal space for migrants to live full urban lives, migrants’ use of technology to augment that urban life will follow.