Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals ...

Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals
is able but not willing to solve the problems facing its population. In this
case DC will not be able to accomplish much, because it depends – as the
term indicates – on the existence of a partner which perceives the problems
at hand, shows interest in tackling them, and is willing to contribute
whatever it can to solving them.
In other words, the optimal conditions are given when a developing country
is faced with a very high urgency of problem-solution, when its government
is highly disposed to tackle these problems, and when at the same
time its capacity to solve existing problems is markedly low. A model like
the one presented in Overview 6 might be used to review the extent to
which such conditions are given in any of the partner countries of German
DC. The overview presents a hypothetical case, which does not resemble
any real country. As a consequence, the goal orientation subscribed to the
German DC at present is also entirely hypothetical. The third to seventh
column reflect the partner country’s urgency, capacity, and disposition to
solve its problems. The last column, finally, makes proposals for a reorientation
of German DC with the model partner country.
In looking at the urgency and capacity to solve given problems, we have to
distinguish here between two different aspects. We can speak of a high urgency
to take measures against a problem if the country’s absolute MDG indicator
values are especially low (if e.g. a large proportion of the population is
suffering from hunger). Against the background of the MDGs, however, we
can also speak of a high urgency to solve a problem if – regardless of initial
levels – the relative change in a country’s indicator values is unsatisfactory (if
e.g. its child mortality rate has not improved much over the past years).
The capacity of a country to solve its own problems, on the other hand, depends
on (i) the capacities and possibilities of its institutions, but also (ii) the
capacities and possibilities that have been opened to the country through its
DC with the donors. The point of factoring in this last aspect is to prevent
German DC from becoming active in countries or sectors where many other
donor countries are already providing support while at the same time overlooking
countries and sectors that are neglected by all other donors as well.
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