Circular Economy for Plastics and Digitally Enabled Community Towards ASEAN Halal Hub in Asia

This chapter highlights the significant economic opportunities from the implementation of the circular economy paradigm for plastics as a requirement for halal industry in the ASEAN region. If this can be realized, the ASEAN halal industry will have a comparative advantage that will all at once leads radically in reducing plastic pollution in halal market. ASEAN has opportunities for influencing the value to halal market in Asia. All the more, Asia also has opportunities for influencing the value to halal market around the world. With support from the digitally enabled community, this circular economy best practice may spread and influence another region or another industry in Asia. This not only opens up opportunities of ASEAN for leading a halal hub in Asia, but it can also be encouraging the collaboration between community groups, businesses, industry, local and national governments, international donors, and world-class experts seeking meaningful actions to defeat plastic pollution.

Black, Caspian Seas and Central Asia Silk Association (BACSA) for the Future of Sericulture in Europe and Central Asia

The history and recent activities of the Black Caspian Seas and Central Asia Silk Association are presented in this paper: the countries that participated in its foundation, the FAO’s action to revitalize sericulture in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the following widening of the Association geographical limits of to enclose other European countries, which were not well-represented in other similar organizations. Some statistical data are illustrated for a better description of the scenario in which the BACSA executive board acted: the world silk production quantity and the relative production of BACSA countries in respect to the Chinese expansion. The themes treated in the BACSA conferences are reported to explain which matters the Executive Board considered the most relevant for the relaunch of this activity in relationships to the international challenges in the subsequent years; the project proposals that were presented to international donors are summarized. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis is shown, where key-factors in determining the strengths and weaknesses of this organization and its member countries for a successful re-establishment of sericulture, are considered. In addition, future trends of sericulture with regard to innovative productions and the Green Deal are examined.

Mapping the Sahelian Space

This chapter examines the geographical meaning of the Sahel and its spatial dynamics. Unlike other approaches that define the Sahel as a bioclimatic zone or as an ungoverned area, it shows that the Sahel is primarily a space of circulation in which uncertainty has historically been overcome by mobility. The first section discusses how precolonial empires relied on a network of markets and cities that facilitated trade and social relationships across the region and beyond. The second section explores changing regional mobility patterns precipitated by colonial powers and the new approach they developed to control networks and flows. The third section discusses the contradiction between the mobile strategies adopted by local herders, farmers, and traders in the Sahel and the territorial development initiatives of modern states and international donors. Particular attention is paid in the last section to how the Sahel was progressively redefined through a security lens.

Locating the “Local” in Peacebuilding

Drawing on an extensive literature review and four case studies from leading examples of post-conflict local peacebuilding in sub-Saharan Africa, this report argues that the “local” in local peacebuilding is best defined as local knowledge of conflict drivers and dynamics and locally defined, contextually specific definitions of peace. This does not necessarily mean working through or empowering “traditional” actors and institutions (a highly contested category, in any case). Nor should it mean a narrow focus on subnational conflict drivers and peace actors to the detriment of assessing how national and international dynamics shape local peace challenges (and vice versa). International donors and peace actors are most successful when they operate with a keen awareness that all potential peacebuilding actors (national and local actors, but also external donors, "experts," and implementers) have their own agendas and that peacebuilding efforts that work at the sub-national level and engage local actors are not automatically endowed with legitimacy and community buy-in just because of their "localness." International actors must also be flexible and open to partnering with a wide range of local actors, including those that don’t meet preconceived international expectations about what an effective local partner looks like (often, old, male, and "traditional").

Do Performance Indicators Improve the Effectiveness of Development Aid?

Inspired by benchmarking techniques, performance indicators have now become essential criteria for measuring the effectiveness of public policies, based on quantitative objectives, in the context of Results Based Management (RBM). They are increasingly used by international donors to guide the delivery of aid to Third World countries. This article attempts to highlight the role of these performance indicators in disrupting public policies in Africa. It highlights their perverse effects, re-examines the meaning of indicator-based management, and rests on the question of the autonomy of countries receiving aid in the conduct of their public policies.

Politics of Land Resource Management in Mozambique

Mozambique's 1997 Land Law was praised by international donors and the country’s own civil society for its democratic and open drafting process. The process included public hearings throughout the country and the recognition of customary law. However, once it became operational, there were many instances of so-called land grabbing. This chapter argues that the reason for this lies in the political operation of the law rather than in the technicalities of its application. This chapter aims to explore the political dynamics in Mozambique that distort the implementation of the Land Law of 1997. The land law in Mozambique was developed with the technical support of international donors, and the government of Mozambique followed these external trends in the expectation of receiving financial support and private investment while it also reflected the axis of conflictin Mozambique's domestic politics. The case studies show that the operation of land law has resulted in the emergence of party-political oppositional axes in rural areas. These facts suggest that the specific political environment strongly influences the process of law-making and implementation. Mozambique's political environment is an obstacle to achieving the law's original objectives of establishing rights to land resources and social stability.

Agricultural Investment Corridors in Africa: Does Smallholder and Women's Participation Count?

Agricultural development corridors and clusters are highly complex projects that have been driven in Africa by agribusiness and mining corporations, host governments, international donors and development finance institutions. There is interest in whether these projects can support inclusive agribusiness. Evidence shows that involvement of small-scale economic actors in such initiatives is often impeded by a failure to grant them participation or a voice. We therefore investigated if and how recent corridors and clusters in Africa have been able to achieve the meaningful engagement of small-scale economic actors, with a focus on smallholders, including pastoralists, and the women among them.

Some aspects of establishment and development of social entrepreneurship

Problem setting. Social entrepreneurship as a phenomenon has long been known to the world community. Although its formation in Ukraine has started relatively recently, the pace of development of Ukrainian social entrepreneurship is simply impressive. Target of research is to study the main factors promoting social entrepreneurship. To achieve this goal, structural, comparative and statistical research methods were used. Analysis of resent researches and publications. Problems of development of social entrepreneurship have received considerable coverage in the works of scientists: B. Androschuk, N. Gusak, A. Kornetsky, V. Nazaruka, A. Tumanova and others. Article’s main body. A. Kornetsky and B. Androschuk identify three main stages in the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine. The first is called the period 1991-2010, when international donors, in particular the United States Agency for International Development, began to finance the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine. In 1991, the Law of Ukraine “On the Fundamentals of Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine” was adopted. It is still in force and provides benefits for doing business for people with disabilities, in particular, determines the financing of their business initiatives from a special state fund. The second stage defines the period 2010-2016, which was characterized by the merger of partner organizations into consortia to launch educational and financial programs for social entrepreneurship. In 2010, the Consortium for the Promotion of Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine was established. With its support, a number of trainings for trainers were conducted, three resource centers were opened (in Kyiv, Donetsk and Lviv) and the first lending program for social enterprises was launched. During this period, the publication of educational materials on social entrepreneurship began. It is believed that the third stage of development of the social enterprise began in 2016 and continues to this day. Significant assistance in the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine during this period is provided by the European Union (EU) and some EU member states. Conclusions and prospects for the development. In general, Ukraine is currently at the stage of forming an ecosystem of social entrepreneurship and networking of local centers for its development. In the period from 2016-2020, about 10 Ukrainian-language manuals on social entrepreneurship were published, 3 Ukrainian-language online courses were created. Every year, the number of educational activities aimed at promoting social entrepreneurship increases, and public awareness of the role of social enterprises is growing. However, an important aspect is that, for the most part, the implementation of activities aimed at the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine is supported by international donors, rather than government programs and initiatives. Further research should focus on the study of foreign experience in determining the main factors of social entrepreneurship, as well as a detailed analysis of these factors.

Zambia’s Patriotic Front faces major election test

Significance The country’s economy has been in decline for some time, and the government is increasingly plagued by corruption scandals. Impacts A contested election will likely further undermine the increasingly fraught relationship between Zambia and international donors. New government borrowing to fund populist policies will further complicate economic reform prospects. The replacement of recently deceased Chief Justice Irene Mambilima may become politicised given the courts’ role in resolving poll disputes.

Malawi anti-corruption drive faces multiple obstacles

Significance The initial refusal of MPs to approve Martha Chizuma was widely seen as an attempt to protect themselves against a fervent anti-corruption campaigner. However, a public outcry forced the committee to revisit the finding. Impacts Widespread corruption will undermine efforts to strengthen the health sector and enhance public service provision. High government spending amid depressed tourism revenues is likely to increase Malawi’s uncomfortable debt burden. Evidence of continued corruption will deter international donors from providing much-needed financial assistance to the new government.