Activity report 2013

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2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ACTIVITY REPORT a snapshot… 1

Transcript of Activity report 2013

… 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 …

ACTIVITY REPORT a snapshot…

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BELGIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

As a public agency, BTC manages development projects for the Belgian Government and other commissioners. In doing so, we contribute to the efforts of the international community to end poverty in the world.

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BTC IN 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SECTORS AND PROJECTS Agriculture - 17 Public-law company with social purposes – 4

1 head office, 18 country offices – 5

More than 1,600 staff members – 6

Complementary tasks – 7

Implementing governmental development cooperation – 8

Interventions for others – 9

BTC in Belgium – 10

Law on Belgian development cooperation – 11

Sectors and themes – 12

Middle-income countries – 14

Fragile states – 15

Health care - 23

Education - 26

Governance - 29

Infrastructure - 32

PUBLIC-LAW COMPANY WITH SOCIAL PURPOSES

237 255 253

229 235

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Its only shareholder is the Belgian

State, which is represented in the

General Meeting by the Minister of

Development Cooperation.

The relations between the Belgian

State and BTC are governed by a

management contract.

For 2013, the overall portfolio of

activities amounted to € 235,615,401.

Diagram: Evolution of the portfolio (millions of euros)

BTC is a public-law company with social purposes, established by the Law of 21 December 1998.

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1 HEAD OFFICE, 18 COUNTRY OFFICES

BTC's head office is in Brussels. BTC also has a country office in the main city of each of the 18 partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation.

• Ecuador

• Peru

• Bolivia

Palestinian

Territory

Vietnam

• Algeria

• Morocco

• Senegal

• Mali

• Niger

• Benin

• Congo (Dem.Rep.)

• Uganda

• Rwanda

• Burundi

• Tanzania

• Mozambique

• South Africa

Belgium

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MORE THAN 1,600 STAFF MEMBERS

BTC follows a transparent and modern human resources policy that allows for balancing private life with a professional career (telework), offers extensive training opportunities, promotes internal mobility...

Staff 2013 % m/f

Staff in Brussels 187 45/55

International experts 185 81/19

Junior assistants 66 33/67

Local staff in the country offices 179 60/40

Local staff in the interventions 1014 77/23

Total 1631 60/40

Hiring local staff

To pursue its mission BTC wants to

work with local staff as much as

possible. By coaching local staff and by

providing training opportunities BTC

also wants to strengthen local

capacities in the partner countries.

Everywhere, the recruitment

procedures are open, objective and

transparent. Local staff sign an

employment contract that has been

approved by local legists and that

complies with local legislation.

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COMPLEMENTARY TASKS

Activity Volume*

Governmental cooperation 216

Infocycle (training), awareness-raising,

Trade for Development, emergency aid,

rehabilitation aid…

7,5

Activities commissioned by third parties

(European Union, World Bank, DFID etc…) 9

Junior Programme 2,5

Total 235

* x 1,000,000 €

BTC's tasks are varied but very complementary. Consequently, natural synergies are created in further support of the strategies.

92%

3% 4% 1%

Governmental cooperation

Training, awareness-raising, Trade for Development, emergency aid,rehabilitation aid...Activities for third parties

Junior Programme

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IMPLEMENTING GOVERNMENTAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

BTC's interventions in Central Africa (Congo, Burundi, Rwanda) represent 54% of the portfolio of activities.

BTC's core business is implementing

Belgium's governmental development

cooperation in the 18 partner countries.

In 2013, expenditure for governmental

development cooperation amounted to

more than 216 million euros.

The main regions of governmental

development cooperation are Central

Africa (54% of expenditure) and North

and West Africa and the Middle East

(25% of expenditure).

Diagram: Geographical breakdown of expenditure 2013

54%

25%

9%

7% 5%

Central Africa (RDC+RWA+BDI)

N&W Africa + Middle East

E&S Africa

Latin America

Asia

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INTERVENTIONS FOR OTHER DONORS

In 2013, BTC implemented projects for

third-party donors in ten countries.

In terms of volume, IS is mainly active

in Benin, Congo, Rwanda and

Tanzania.

The European Union (EU) represented

41 % of the volume of IS activities in

2013, followed by the French

development agency (AFD), which

represented 30% of the portfolio.

Through its International Services (IS) department, BTC works for donors other than the Belgian State, such as the European Commission and the World Bank.

These interventions are often jointly

financed with other countries or

organisations, which allows for

economies of scale and a bigger

impact.

Thanks to this form of cooperation, BTC can compare the quality of its operations to the quality offered by other organisations (benchmark).

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BTC IN BELGIUM

BTC is also active in Belgium with specific programmes: development cooperation education, raising awareness among young people, a fair trade coordination centre and a programme for young "development workers".

Infocycle

A training course to better understand

international solidarity. More than

1,000 participants per year.

Trade for development

Assistance to producers organisations

in countries in the South and promotion

of fair and sustainable trade.

Annoncer la couleur - Kleur

Bekennen

Raising awareness among young

people aged 3 to 18 about global

citizenship issues.

Junior Programme

Since 2006, more than 300 young

people have acquired a first

professional experience in

development cooperation.

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LAW ON BELGIAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

The general objective of the Belgian Development Cooperation is to contribute to sustainable human development.

The actions of Belgium must foster

sustainable and inclusive economic

growth to improve the living conditions

of people in developing countries and

to eradicate poverty, exclusion and

inequality.

Priority is given to local entrepreneur-

ship, social economy and decent work.

In this respect, the Belgian

Development Cooperation wants to

strengthen countries through capacity

development so they can take their

development in their own hands.

With its interventions, Belgium wants to

contribute to consolidating democracy

and the rule of law, including good

governance and the respect of human

dignity, human rights and fundamental

freedoms, including sexual and

reproductive rights, with particular

attention for the fight against any form

of discrimination.

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SECTORS AND THEMES

Governmental development cooperation concentrates on a maximum of three sectors per partner country. The sectors are chosen on the basis of the partner country's policy priorities.

Sectors

The four core sectors are:

• Health care, including access to

health care for all, reproductive

health and the fight against the

major endemic diseases, including

HIV and AIDS as a transversal

theme

• Education and training

• Agriculture and food security

• Basic infrastructure

Priority themes

The priority themes of the Belgian

Development Cooperation are:

• Human rights, including children's

rights

• Decent and sustainable work

• Society building.

Transversal themes

Belgium includes the following trans-

versal themes in all its development

cooperation interventions:

• The gender dimension, which aims

at the empowerment of women and

gender equality in society ;

• The protection of the environment

and natural resources, including the

fight against climate change,

droughts and worldwide

deforestation.

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SECTORS AND THEMES

Diagram: Sector share (percentage) in BTC's portfolio

The classical sectors – health care, agriculture and education – remain the main domain of activity of the governmental development cooperation.

Capacity development

Capacity development is much broader

than only improving knowledge and

skills of individuals. It is also about

governance and is therefore also

related to organisational and

institutional development.

Belgium follows the OECD

recommendation and automatically

includes capacity development in all

programmes of governmental

development cooperation.

Health

Agriculture

Education

Governance

Water & Sanitation

Transport and storage

Multisector

Energy

Environment

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

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A DIFFERENT APPROACH IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Middle-Income Countries

The Middle-Income Countries among the

partner countries of the Belgian

Development Cooperation are:

• Algeria

• Bolivia

• Ecuador

• Morocco

• Palestinian Territory

• Peru

• Senegal

• Vietnam

• South Africa

The Belgian Development Cooperation uses different approaches for the differing political, economic and social and cultural context of the partner countries.

Strategy

The strategy of the Belgian

Development Cooperation in the

Middle-Income Countries targets the

transfer of knowledge, technology

and know-how.

In the long run, instead of development

cooperation, broader bilateral relations

must be pursued with these countries.

Middle-Income Countries represent 26% of BTC's portfolio of activities.

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FRAGILE STATES REPRESENT 56% OF BTC'S PORTFOLIO

According to the OECD, states are

fragile when governments and state

structures lack capacity and/or political

will to deliver safety and security, good

governance, and poverty reduction to

their citizens.

Based on the OECD's ranking (2014)

there are 51 fragile states worldwide;

they are home to about 1.5 billion

people.

In recent years international

development assistance to fragile

states has systematically decreased.

'Resilience' is a concept that was

developed as a counterpart to the

'fragile state' concept.

Resilient states can cope with shocks

and transformations and manage

radical change and challenges, while

maintaining political stability and

preventing violence.

Resilient states show that they have

the capacity and legitimacy to govern

their population and territory.

The 'fragile' partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation are: Burundi, the Democratic Republic Congo, Mali, Niger, Uganda and the Palestinian Territory.

The strategy of the Belgian

Development Cooperation in fragile

states targets the development and

strengthening of the economic and

social regulatory capacity of the state in

such varied domains as labour rights,

health care, education and

development. The goal is to enhance

the partner countries' resilience.

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Belgium's public services have very valuable expertise for governmental development cooperation. BTC has signed memoranda of understanding with public services such as the federal police, the justice department and the social security department, so BTC can call upon their experts to contribute to the development of our partner countries. Carl Michiels President of the Management Committee

« «

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AGRICULTURE 17

AGRICULTURE

Belgium supports sustainable family farming. It aims to improve food security and to contribute to sustainable economic growth. The strategy is based on four axes.

Produce more and sustainably

First, production must be increased in a

sustainable way. That is why Belgium's

assistance targets improved access to

means of production: seeds, water,

information and innovation, financial

services...

Commercialising products

A second axis is commercialising

agricultural products. This requires

easy access to the markets, improved

transport infrastructure, efficient

information and communication

services and stronger producers

organisations.

Capacity development

A third axis targets capacity

development within ministries and

public services, in civil society and

farmers organisations by means of

policy support and support to the

coordination of sector actors

(agricultural organisations, the private

sector, local authorities...).

Strengthening the position of

women

A fourth axis is strengthening the

position of women. Women's access to

land, markets and information is limited

still even though they play a key role in

the production, processing and

marketing of food.

The Belgian Development Cooperation

takes the lead of the donor group in

several partner countries and also

leads the dialogue with the partner

ministries, in Benin for agriculture and

in Niger and Mali for livestock breeding.

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RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR

12,000 people helped

Small producers are encouraged and

assisted to become associates. They

are supported in taking new initiatives

and in boosting and diversifying their

business. Also the distribution and

commercialisation of products is

targeted.

In total, support is provided to more

than 80 projects in community

tourism, the fisheries, small-stock

farming, cocoa, coffee, fruit and

vegetable culture, among others.

PDRN (2007-2014)

The Programme for rural development

in the North of Ecuador (PDRN) helps

local authorities of five provinces* to

stimulate the rural economy. It aims to

improve the employment prospects and

the living conditions of the poorest

inhabitants. The budget amounts to 14

million euros.

*Imbabura, Carchi, Esmeraldas, Manabí, Pichincha

Manabi

Esmeraldas

Carchi

Imbabura

Quito

Pichincha

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RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR

Increased dairy production has helped stop the rural exodus in the Pichincha province.

At only two hours from Quito, in Pedro

Moncayo and Cayambe, in the

Pichincha province, more than 2,000

dairy farmers have associated in the

Campinorte Company. With the

support of the Rural Development

Programme (PDRN) and the provincial

council of Pichincha they succeeded in

significantly increasing their dairy

production. They succeeded in

stabilising dairy prices and sales. This

stability also impacted the behaviour of

youths in the region.

"I used to believe my future was in the

city. There were no means for me to

study. But times have changed and we

became aware that we have a huge

potential here in which we can invest

and work," says Gonzalo Ramirez, the

president of the Campinorte Company.

Laura Guatemal, an administrator at a

dairy collection centre, explains,

“Young people used to move to the city

because there were no opportunities

for them in the countryside. Now – after

studying – they do actually return to the

community. And the families stay

together."

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SPAT II (2010-2016)*

The Strategic Plan for Agricultural

Transformation aims to provide

Rwandan farmers with efficient public

assistance and to improve access to

advisory services and high-quality

planting materials for better and

sustainable crops. The total budget for

this large-scale programme amounts to

18 million euros.

*Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation

Training in the field

Most Rwandan farmers have small

plots only, so it is important to get the

most out of the land. Therefore,

Rwandan farmers are keen to learn

and apply practices to increase their

productivity and income.

At a Farmer Field School (FFS)

farmers are trained in the field for a

whole season, but not in the traditional

way. They are taught to make

decisions based on evidence from field

observation and experiments.

Farmers' income more than doubled

Overall, 92% of the 2,900 FFS¬ groups

have increased yields with 50%. The

average income of the farmers has

more than doubled (+164%).

Furthermore, FFS farmers use fewer

pesticides and conserve local genetic

resources.

190,000 HAPPY RWANDAN FARMERS

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The success of the Farmer Field Schools lies in the fact that farmers learn to find solutions and take decision. It emboldens them to deal with future challenges.

"We really could not believe our eyes

when we harvested our cassava in the

FFS-plots. We just had never seen

such big cassava roots. I think it was

six or even seven times bigger than

what we are used to!" explains Ernest

Kabeja, a cassava farmer. "Luckily

enough, the big ones taste good as

well."

190,000 HAPPY RWANDAN FARMERS

"We have learned which insects attack

our plants and which insects are our

friends. I am convinced we now are better

prepared to deal with whatever the future

has in store. And even if we do not find

the solutions ourselves, we still can rely

on our facilitator," explains Aimable

Gatambire, who joined a FFS group in

2011.

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HEALTH CARE 23

HEALTH CARE

Traditionally, the health sector is very important for the Belgian Development Cooperation. Healthy people are more productive and therefore contribute more to the development of their country.

Healthy policies

Also in developing countries the state

is responsible for the health policy and

the organisation of health care. BTC

helps by strengthening ministries and

developing efficient healthcare

networks.

Also, a good health insurance system

is equally important to ensure access

to health care.

Witness of reality

As a development agency BTC

distinguishes itself because it is active

at the central policy level as well as at

the local level where healthcare

services are delivered.

For the Belgian Development

Cooperation local involvement is a

conscious choice since that way BTC

can witness the reality of the field. It is

essential for conducting a credible

dialogue with the health instances of

the partner country.

Partnership

Partnership is not an empty box. All

stakeholders are explicitly involved in

the interventions in the health sector:

the ministry of health, the civilian

population, health staff, civil servants,

religious communities and other

organisations that are active in the

health sector. In this respect

development cooperation can be an

intermediary to have these different

groups enter into a dialogue to achieve

a common goal.

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REDUCED INFANT MORTALITY IN NIGER

Less than 50% of women in

Niger benefit of prenatal

health care and only 29% of

women are assisted by

qualified staff when giving

birth. Niger's Ministry of

Public Health has drawn up a

national plan to deal with the

issues.

PFAS (2010-2014)

The Project in support to training health

workers in Niger (PFAS) aims to

strengthen the technical skills of health

workers in view of improving the quality

of healthcare services.

Belgium also supports Niger's National

health sector development plan

through two other interventions. The

total budget for this training programme

amounts to 3.8 million euros.

The most vulnerable first

The objective is to provide access to

health care for all – and especially for

the most vulnerable layers of the

population. Under the PFAS, 53 nurses

were trained in anaesthesia, in

gynaecological surgery and in

radiology techniques. 23 general

practitioners were trained in essential

surgery. To reduce infant mortality,

each district hospital must have a

functional operating theatre with a

surgery team.

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EDUCATION 26

EDUCATION

In the education sector the interventions of the Belgian governmental cooperation target primary education, technical and vocational education and the access to high-quality education.

Primary education

The quality of primary education is a

priority of the Belgian Development

Cooperation. Belgium provides support

via projects, through the education

budget of the partner countries or

through multi-donor funds, such as the

Global Partnership for Education*.

* www.globalpartnership.org

Technical and vocational education

Technical and vocational education

must be aligned with the needs of the

labour market. Working with private

businesses and civil society – for

instance through internships or

alternating education – is of major

importance to help youths find

employment or create a business of

their own.

Belgium also pays specific attention to

education opportunities for girls, care

for the environment and prospects of

decent work.

Pedagogical innovation

The quality of education is enhanced

by improving teachers' education,

through pedagogical innovation (e-

learning) and by using a pupil-centred

approach that turns pupils into active

players in the learning process.

The design of new school buildings

includes child-friendly and environ-

mental features.

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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN BURUNDI

Focusing on the labour market

School principals and staff are trained

to improve the administrative, financial

and logistics management of schools.

Also teachers are trained to improve

the content and methodological

quality of course materials.

The offer is diversified and new topics

such as catering and food are added

so education is better aligned with the

needs of the labour market and

graduates find work more easily.

AEPT (2011-2017)

Belgium has supported education in

Burundi for more than ten years. The

Technical and vocational education

support project (AFPT) aims to improve

the management of 50 technical and

vocational schools. It also wants to

boost the credibility and attractiveness

of technical and vocational education

by promoting the education offer. The

budget for this project amounts to 7

million euros.

Encouraging results

In most cases attendance at the

schools has doubled. So, because of

better education the image the

population has of these institutions has

definitely improved.

Burundi's Ministry of Education has

decided to adopt the new school

management model in all technical

and vocational schools in the country.

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GOVERNANCE 29

Governance principles

Equity: addressing inequalities.

Inclusiveness/participation: citizens

take part in decision-making.

Accountability: governments do what

they say and say what they do.

Rule of law: equitable and transparent

laws, regulations and codes.

Transparency: government actions

and decisions are open to scrutiny.

Integrity: to guarantee dignity,

trustworthiness, sincerity and honesty.

Why governance ?

Governance is the state's ability to

serve its citizens. It includes the rules,

processes and behaviour by which

interests are articulated, resources are

managed and power is exercised in

society. Governance is a basic

measure of the stability and

performance of a society.

GOVERNANCE

“Good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development.” (Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan)

Supply and demand

BTC's work focuses on strengthening

the rule of law and the administration of

justice, public administration, civil

service and public finance

management, and decentralisation and

local government. This is the 'supply

side' of governance.

In sectoral support programmes

(governance in education, healthcare,

agriculture….), BTC also collaborates

with 'demand-side' actors involved in

reform (civil society, check and balance

institutions), bridging gaps between

important players and building

consensus. 30

JUSTICE IN BURUNDI

Results

In three years time, significant results

were obtained in Muramvya where the

County Court was rehabilitated and the

functioning of the various judiciary

institutions of the province improved.

The inmate population of Muramvya jail

dropped with 30%. The waiting time

prior to judgement was reduced by

17%. The number of people in pre-trial

detention dropped spectacularly.

Justice Programme (2008-2016)

The programme aims to enhance the

fairness, credibility and effectiveness of

penal justice delivered and

administered by the judiciary and

penitential institutions, in particular for

those awaiting trial, detainees and

minors who are in conflict with the law.

The total budget amounts to 15 million

euros.

The problems encountered

Shortcomings in the application of laws

and procedures lead to illegal detention

under poor conditions with limits on

police custody being exceeded. The lack

of organisation also renders case

processing – from the arrest to the

delivery of judgement – very long.

Work methods and resources needed to

be modernised within juridictions, justice

professionals needed to be trained and

professional practices needed to be

improved.

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INFRASTRUCTURE 32

Water and Sanitation

By 2020, the government of Rwanda

aims to supply drinking water to its

entire population and to put in place

necessary individual and collective

sanitation facilities across the country.

The Belgian Development Cooperation

supported these ambitions by

implementing a water and sanitation

project in the Southern Province, in

three mainly rural districts (Nyaruguru,

Huye and Gisagara) between 2005 and

2013.

Main results

• 200,000 people gained access to

drinking water

• 30% reduction in water-borne

diseases

• 600 kms of drinking water networks

• Ecological latrines for 75,000

pupils

• 55,000 households sensitized on

basic hygiene

DRINKING WATER FOR 200,000 PEOPLE IN RWANDA

PEPAPS (2005-2013)

The Drinking Water and Sanitation

Project in the Southern Province

(PEPAPS) was a joint effort of Rwanda

(1.3 million euros), Belgium (17.9

million euros) and the European

Commission (4.3 million euros),

totalling a budget of 23.5 million euros.

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Employment-intensive method

For resurfacing roads and for the

ensuing improved sanitation an

employment-intensive method was

used. The Paving project has

developed the innovative concept of a

social employment-intensive method: it

concerns employment-intensive

construction throughout (and even

after) which workers benefit from social

coaching through professional and

social skills training, including family

planning, civic education and hygiene.

Learning – reinsertion

The Paving project allowed 4,500

inhabitants of the three communes to

work and jointly learn through the on-

site training programme, in view of

social rebuilding and reconciliation.

Workers are considered learners more

than labour.

Professional insertion is fostered by

giving each learner the chance of

developing an income-generating

activity.

PAVING PROJECT (2009-2014)

The Paving project built about 36

kilometres of paved roads in three

communes in northern Bujumbu. In

addition to the renovation of

infrastructure, the project aims to

contribute to boosting the economic

and social development of these

communes. The total budget amounts

to 16 million euros.

SOCIAL PAVING IN BURUNDI

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BELGIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

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