Donor-supported Approaches to Improving Extractives Governance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Buckley ◽  
Neil McCulloch ◽  
Nicholas Travis
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
International Development ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Oil Sector ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Development Prospects ◽  
Donor Interest

Donor interest in the natural resources extractives sector is based upon the premise that it represents an opportunity to improve a country’s development prospects. However, in many cases the presence of extractive resources is associated with poor economic performance. As a result, some donors are trying a radically different approach. This chapter explores one such programme funded by the UK Department for International Development: the Facility for Oil Sector Transparency and Reform in Nigeria. The chapter outlines five lessons learned from this example. First, continual analysis is essential to understand the underlying incentives of key actors. Second, interventions need to be locally led in order to provide legitimacy for reform. Third, interventions need to be flexible and adaptive. Fourth, acceptance of an element of risk is necessary. Fifth, donors need to develop a new way of measuring impact.

scholarly journals Case study: design and implementation of training for scientists deploying to Ebola diagnostic field laboratories in Sierra Leone: October 2014 to February 2016

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1721) ◽  
pp. 20160299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Logue ◽  
Suzanna M. Lewis ◽  
Amber Lansley ◽  
Sara Fraser ◽  
Clare Shieber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
Diagnostic Laboratory ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
The Uk

As part of the UK response to the 2013–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa, Public Health England (PHE) were tasked with establishing three field Ebola virus (EBOV) diagnostic laboratories in Sierra Leone by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). These provided diagnostic support to the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) facilities located in Kerry Town, Makeni and Port Loko. The Novel and Dangerous Pathogens (NADP) Training group at PHE, Porton Down, designed and implemented a pre-deployment Ebola diagnostic laboratory training programme for UK volunteer scientists being deployed to the PHE EVD laboratories. Here, we describe the training, workflow and capabilities of these field laboratories for use in response to disease epidemics and in epidemiological surveillance. We discuss the training outcomes, the laboratory outputs, lessons learned and the legacy value of the support provided. We hope this information will assist in the recruitment and training of staff for future responses and in the design and implementation of rapid deployment diagnostic field laboratories for future outbreaks of high consequence pathogens. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’.

scholarly journals First Post-Legislative Scrutiny in Georgia: Steps Towards Generating Result-oriented Laws

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kakhaber Kuchava
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
National Level ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
The Uk

The effective implementation of law is a complex process. This process depends on the availability of human resources, public engagement, funding (at least, on the stage of piloting), among others. Often, the focus is on getting legislation adopted, rather than on practical implementation and its impact. To fill in this gap, oversight over the Implementation of Normative Acts (i.e., Post-legislative scrutiny, hereinafter “PLS”) has been introduced in the Rules of Procedures of the Parliament of Georgia (hereinafter, the “Parliament”). This article scrutinises the procedures that are shaping the Parliament’s ability to conduct PLS as well as its interaction with the executive. The working theory for this paper is that insufficient attention has been paid to the review of legislation after its enactment in Georgia. The paper addresses the work that has been undertaken at the national level, particularly through monitoring the effects of adopted legislation in ensuring benefits for constituents in the ways initially intended. Furthermore, it will reflect on the challenges identified in the ongoing PLS process by the  Environments Protection and Natural Resources Committee (hereinafter “Environment Committee”) and the lessons learned based on the experience. The article uses a case study of Georgia to explore the context and challenges for effective PLS. For comparision, this research adopted  the UK approach, where it is common to review the laws  three to five years after enactment.

Responding to the needs of survivors of sexual violence: Do we know what works?

2014 ◽  
Vol 96 (894) ◽  
pp. 585-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris Schopper
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
International Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Concrete Action ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level

During the past twelve months, the issue of sexual violence in conflict and emergencies has received an unprecedented amount of attention at the highest political and institutional levels. In 2013, the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) launched a Call to Action to mobilize donors, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders on protecting women and girls in humanitarian emergencies, culminating in the high-level event “Protecting Girls and Women in Emergencies” in November 2013. As of August 2014, over forty partners (including governments, United Nations (UN) agencies and NGOs) had made commitments to the Call to Action. Furthermore, in June 2014 the “Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict”, co-chaired by the UK Foreign Secretary and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), gathered 1,700 delegates and 129 country delegations. In his summary, the chair of the Global Summit states: “We must apply the lessons we have learned and move from condemnation to concrete action. We must all live up to the commitments we have made.”1In September 2014, the United States organized a Call to Action event in New York during the UN General Assembly with the purpose of sharing progress on commitments made in November 2013. It thus seems that efforts to raise awareness about sexual violence in conflict and emergencies and advocate for a much stronger commitment to action are well under way. But is this enough? Is there enough evidence from lessons learned to allow us to increase and improve our response?

Institutional developments, standards and river quality: a UK history and some lessons for industrialising countries

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. M. Johnstone ◽  
N. J. Horan
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Process Manufacturing ◽  
Treatment And Disposal ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Developed World

From the middle ages until the early part of the nineteenth century the streets of European cities were foul with excrement and filth to the extent that aristocrats often held a clove-studded orange to their nostrils in order to tolerate the atmosphere. The introduction in about 1800 of water-carriage systems of sewage disposal merely transferred the filth from the streets to the rivers. The problem was intensified in Britain by the coming of the Industrial Revolution and establishment of factories on the banks of the rivers where water was freely available for power, process manufacturing and the disposal of effluents. As a consequence the quality of most rivers deteriorated to the extent that they were unable to support fish life and in many cases were little more than open sewers. This was followed by a period of slow recovery, such that today most of these rivers have been cleaned with many having good fish stocks and some even supporting salmon. This recovery has not been easy nor has it been cheap. It has been based on the application of good engineering supported by the passing and enforcement of necessary legislation and the development of suitable institutional capacity to finance, design, construct, maintain and operate the required sewerage and sewage treatment systems. Such institutional and technical systems not only include the disposal of domestic sewage but also provisions for the treatment and disposal of industrial wastewaters and for the integrated management of river systems. Over the years a number of institutional arrangements and models have been tried, some successful other less so. Although there is no universally applicable approach to improving the aquatic environment, many of the experiences encountered by the so-called developed world can be learned by developing nations currently attempting to rectify their own aquatic pollution problems. Some of these lessons have already been discussed by the authors including some dangers of copying standards from the developed world. The objective of this paper is to trace the steps taken over many years in the UK to develop methods and systems to protect and preserve the aquatic environment and from the lessons learned to highlight what is considered to be an appropriate and sustainable approach for industrialising nations. Such an approach involves setting of realistic and attainable standards, providing appropriate and affordable treatment to meet these standards, establishment of the necessary regulatory framework to ensure enforcement of the standards and provision of the necessary financial capabilities to guarantee successful and continued operation of treatment facilities.

scholarly journals Why Protect Ancient Woodland in the UK? Rethinking the Ecosystem Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Jona Razzaque ◽  
Claire Lester
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Ancient Woodland ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Sites of ancient woodland in the United Kingdom (UK) are diminishing rapidly and the multifunctional forest management system with its fragmented approach fails effectively to protect such woodland. In the face of reports on the destruction of ancient woodland, the HS2 High-Speed train project in the UK signifies the extent of trade-offs among the key stakeholders. Such large infrastructure projects typically come with high environmental and social costs, including deforestation, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, and social disruption. This article examines the protection of ancient woodland in the UK and assesses the challenges in applying the ecosystem approach, an internationally recognized sustainability strategy, in the context of such protection. A better understanding of the ecosystem approach to manage ancient woodland is critical for promoting sustainable forestry practices in the UK and informs the discussion in this article of the importance of conserving ancient woodland globally. Lessons learned from UK woodland policies and certification schemes include the need to have in place strong regulatory frameworks, introduce clear indicators, and recognize pluralistic value systems alongside economic considerations. The article concludes that the protection of ancient woodland in the UK requires distinct and strong laws that reflect multiple values of this resource, acknowledge the trade-offs among stakeholders, and adopt an inclusive approach to reduce power asymmetries.

An Evaluation of ‘Process as Product’ in OTI Sri Lanka: A Typology of Community-Level Peacebuilding Activities and Programming Recommendation

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-34
Author(s):  
Lee R. Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
International Development ◽  
Community Setting ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Project Impact ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Programme Development ◽  
Definition Of

This paper presents a set of best practices and lessons learned from a set of 93 impact evaluations conducted on community-level, small grants activities implemented between March 2003 and September 2007 by the Sri Lanka country programme of the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It analyses the change theories that guided programme development and common trends in impact which emerged, and discusses ways in which programme staff can improve project impact. It provides a working definition of ‘process’, a key element of OTI's approach and a key concept used by facilitators to understand the work they do with groups and communities. It also delineates a general typology of peacebuilding projects likely to emerge in the community setting. Finally, it formulates a postulate for predicting and observing generic programme impact based upon the relative richness of process, which is considered useful for informing further research design.

Initiatives in UK Offshore Decommissioning Following the Wood Review: Applicability for Decommissioning in Norway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rune Vikane ◽  
Jon Tømmerås Selvik ◽  
Eirik Bjorheim Abrahamsen
Keyword(s):  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Cost Estimates ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Gas Recovery ◽  
The Uk

Abstract The 2014 Wood Review is a report reviewing UK offshore oil and gas recovery and its regulation, led by Sir Ian Wood. The report identifies and addresses key challenges in the UK petroleum industry, among them the lack of a strong regulatory body and a decommissioning strategy. The UK petroleum industry is mature, and Norway may benefit from UK's experiences in decommissioning. The article investigates the applicability of the Wood Review recommendations for decommissioning in Norway. The analysis of the recommendations in the Wood Review is carried out by a SWOT-analysis of the general recommendations with a high potential impact on decommissioning as well as the five recommendations specific to decommissioning. The recommendations in the Wood Review were broadly accepted by UK authorities and formed the basis for numerous initiatives aimed at improving policies and practices in UK decommissioning. The key initiatives are presented to illustrate how the Wood Review recommendations has been interpreted. A summary of the key differences between the petroleum industries and the regulatory authorities in Norway and the UK is provided for background. Decommissioning in Norway face similar challenges to those identified in the Wood Review. The analysis indicates that several of the UK initiatives following the recommendations in the Wood Review has the potential of improving decommissioning in Norway. Differences in regulatory regimes between the regions may complicate the implementation of some of the initiatives following the Wood Review in Norway. In most cases only minor changes to regulations and/or practices are required. Recent UK initiatives with a high impact on decommissioning include increased focus on sharing of information and lessons learned, increased collaboration, the development of a decommissioning strategy, benchmarking of decommissioning cost estimates for all projects and the development and publishing of annual UK decommissioning cost estimates. There are indications that the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) and the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) are falling behind their UK counterparts in key areas. Norway has limited experience with decommissioning, and scrupulous analysis of lessons learned in other regions is essential. Decommissioning of Norwegian offshore infrastructure is a major undertaking and even minor improvements may have a substantial impact on personnel risk, risk to the environment or the total decommissioning expenditure. The Norwegian regulatory regime has been an integral part of the Norwegian petroleum industry's success in previous decades, and changes to the regime require careful deliberation. The recent implementation of initiatives aimed at improving decommissioning regulations and practices in the UK represents a unique learning opportunity for Norwegian authorities. The analysis suggest that Norway may benefit from adopting some of the UK initiatives following the Wood Review recommendations.

Countering Violent Extremism in Canada and Abroad

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora Abdelrahman Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Significant Development ◽  
The Us ◽  
Violent Extremism ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
The Uk

Terrorism and violent extremism have undoubtedly become among the top security concerns of the 21st century. Despite a robust agenda of counterterrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the evolution of global terrorism has continued to outpace the policy responses that have tried to address it. Recent trends such as the foreign fighter phenomenon, the rampant spread of extremist ideologies online and within communities, and a dramatic increase in terrorist incidents worldwide, have led to a recognition that “traditional” counterterrorism efforts are insufficient and ineffective in combatting these phenomena. Consequently, the focus of policy and practice has shifted towards countering violent extremism by addressing the drivers of radicalization to curb recruitment to extremist groups. Within this context, the field of countering violent extremism (CVE) has garnered attention from both the academic and policy-making worlds. While the CVE field holds promise as a significant development in counterterrorism, its policy and practice are complicated by several challenges that undermine the success of its initiatives. Building resilience to violent extremism is continuously challenged by an overly securitized narrative and unintended consequences of previous policies and practices, including divisive social undercurrents like Islamophobia, xenophobia, and far-right sentiments. These by-products make it increasingly difficult to mobilize a whole of society response that is so critical to the success and sustainability of CVE initiatives. This research project addresses these policy challenges by drawing on the CVE strategies of Canada, the US, the UK, and Denmark to collect best practice and lessons learned in order to outline a way forward. 

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