Course Introduction: JMP and GLAAS

TARGETED vs. TIED

‘Targeted aid’ is a key term in the GLAAS 2010 report. What is it? In general, a ‘well-targeted resource’ (1) is allocated with intelligent forethought, and (2) is designated to the most needy and unserved peoples. Consequently, the use of targeted aid is not determined by the donor alone.

The GLAAS 2010 report mentioned the importance of untied aid, and that donor aid has been increasingly untied over the last ten years (p. 61). In my ignorance, I then wondered, ‘What is tied aid? What’s the difference?’ I first thought that tied aid meant the donor decided how the money would be spent. I learned that tied aid requires the recipient country to expend the tied dollars in the donor country. So, if Japan gives $25 million in tied funds to Ethiopia, Ethiopia needs to spend it all on Japanese exports.

On the surface these words could be synonyms. But in context they are technical terms (i.e. they possess a precise meaning). For me, the biggest reminder: Get your terms straight.

NUMBED BY NUMBERS

And fighting not to be. I admit that I wish I had more compassion than I do. A lot of figures were given about poverty, illness, people lacking access to services, etc, and death. I want to remember that each number is a person – a son, daughter, mother, father, sister, uncle, grandma, friend. One sick or deceased person affects many others. I hope I never get used to hearing these numbers.

PERHAPS THE LARGEST WATER PROBLEM

Amongst the many sectors of development, provision of safe drinking-water and sanitation (DW&S) services should arguably receive one of the highest priorities. Health-care savings, productive labour days, increased school attendance, convenience from better service, and prevented deaths are the potential paybacks for investing in DW&S provision (GLAAS, 2010, p. 9).

Amongst many factors, Dr Adeel summarized the “key drivers” in the global water crisis to be “mismanagement, lack of appropriate policy and inadequate governance,” noting that “behavioural change is the most difficult” (handout, p. 7, italics his). Probably right on. So the questions become, Whose behaviour? What behaviours? A short list:

• Authoritative officials – Prioritization; Dealing with various interests and pressures from all stakeholders; Vested interests and selfish inclinations
• Citizens who “have” – Water-use habits
• Water-using industries – Consumption habits; water-use purposes; control of effluent quality

Persons in each category are faced with two more “behavioural” problems: Becoming informed (knowledge is an asset, particularly key decision makers), and responding to the question inferred from the water crises: “Will I help those in need?"

NOTEWORTHY ITEMS

• In the three-step Drinking Water Ladder, bottled water is an ‘unimproved drinking-water source’ (JMP, p. 13).
• Hamilton residential water rate, 2010: ~ CDN $ 1.05 per m3 (midway between NY and London from the slides; with current exchange rate [almost at par])
• RE: Dr Adeel’s analogy of teens with a credit card to the world’s exploitation of water: Since when have adults controlled their debt? :P