Francis Kokutse

Birte Rodenberg, Policy Advisor of Action Against Aids, Germany.

The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), a coalition of women’s groups, held a forum for international women’s organisations in Accra in the leadup to the High Level Forum. Birte Rodenberg, Policy Advisor of Action Against Aids in Germany, who participated in the forum, spoke to IPS.

IPS: Coming from a developed country, what does effective aid mean to you?

BR: I am a taxpayer and want to know that the money my country gives out as aid goes to the poor it was meant to be and achieve all that it was meant to. I want to know that money mean to reduce poverty achieves just that. I want to know that that my tax is used to improve government structures that would bring about good governance. I want to know that it is used to implement tax reforms so that aid does not lead to policies that would discriminate a section of the people or put the burden on other people in society. I want to monitor my government to know what they used the money they provide for aid.

IPS: Do you think there are ways to improve aid?

BR: Sure there are. They include the principles underlying the provision of aid. This is one area where one applauds the High Level Forum. We need to ensure that the European Union countries keep their obligation of providing 0.7 of their GDP as aid by 2015. We must also think about quality. For example it is not enough to build a hospital and provide medicine for aid, we must look at the structures that would ensure that those who need it most have access to it.

IPS: Aid is said to have been denied to the vulnerable in society, especially women.

BR: There is a mixture of problems that create this situation. Vulnerable people are affected when the aid does not go to where it is meant to be. This has to do with the arrangements that have been created around the aid. In some instances, a lot of the money remains in the donor countries and is used to manage the aid. It is issues like this that make aid ineffective and affect the vulnerable.

IPS: Do you see the HLF achieving anything substantial?

BR: The fact that the HLF is taking place is in itself a clear case that something has been achieved. This is the first time that donor nations and agencies have themselves admitted that some mistakes exist in the way aid is provided and have open up themselves to discussion.