|
 |
 |
 |
|
Media releases > Gordon Brown's debt relief proposals
VSO welcomes Gordon Brown's speech but says developing countries need skills too
(7 January 2005)
Africa has the human resource but it needs to be capacity-built through investment in skills to create self-reliance.
(Ugandan teacher, VSO consultation for the Commission for Africa)
VSO said today that it is vital international NGOs support Gordon Brown's proposals on debt relief and increased aid by working with partners overseas to ensure that national governments and civil society organisations have the human resource capability and institutional capacity to effectively spend increased funds from any debt relief, increases in aid budgets or more equitable trading conditions.
The international development charity said that the cycle of poverty will only be broken if international commitment is given to developing a skilled workforce that has the professional knowledge and expertise to manage significantly increased funds alongside releasing the funds themselves.
VSO, which works through volunteers, sends experienced professionals to work alongside partners in countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. They share their skills and knowledge with local colleagues in local and national government departments and national NGOs. These volunteers are working to ensure that the institutions responsible for delivering public services such as education, healthcare and support for livelihoods are accountable, well-managed and effective.
By developing professional skills volunteers are enabling their colleagues to have greater motivation, competence and responsibility for the development of their services and country. In a consultation for the Commission for Africa VSO contacted over 1,700 Africans, of which 80% said that they believed the challenges of poverty could be addressed by improvement in the way their country was governed and greater co-operation of Africans in seeking solutions.
Mark Goldring, chief executive of VSO, commented:
Our partners across the world make it very clear to us that they want to control their own development agenda. To support them, and to have a meaningful impact on their development, we must work alongside them to ensure they have the solid infrastructure and professional competence that will enable them to operate efficiently and tackle poverty effectively. Only then will the true value of any increased financial support be realised.
VSO works through volunteers because it believes that people working together are the most effective solution to tackling poverty. Its unique approach to development means that it recruits skilled and experienced professionals from around the world, placing them in positions where their knowledge can be most effectively used. Volunteers are recruited from Canada, India, Ireland, The Netherlands, The Philippines, Uganda and the United Kingdom.
For further information please contact Neera Dhingra or Catherine Raynor in the VSO press office.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
