Publications
HOW TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY: THE CENTRAL ROLE OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS IN MEETING THE MDGS
Tom Bigg & David Satterthwaite (eds.) 2005 In this book, IIED s colleagues and partners lay out the case for why local institutions matter. If we, as a global community, are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and make poverty history , our global ambitions must become more firmly anchored in local realities (Camilla Toulmin, Director IIED) The latest IIED booklet on MDGs aims to identify policies and practices that enhance local development processes. It also aims to challenge inadequate and inaccurate measures of poverty and development progress and increase the influence of civil society on key debates and high-level policy processes. This booklet has been produced for the UN 2005 World Summit in September 2005 and for IIED s conference, How to Make Poverty History, in December 2005. Whether or not most of the MDGs are met depends on more effective and pro-poor local organizations being engaged in all aspects from determining what should be done, to doing it, and to monitoring progress. So it also depends on donor agencies changing to support this. If this is neglected, it is unlikely that most of the MDGs will be met. If the poor lack voice and influence, rights and protection by the rule of law, then much-increased donor flows and even debt relief and fairer global markets are unlikely to bring them much benefit. The people on whose poverty the 120
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programmes of all donor agencies are justified surely have a right to a greater influence on what is done and by whom. As the examples given in this book show, this greater influence can transform the quality, scale and cost-effectiveness of development assistance. It can also contribute much to building more effective governance systems, but doing so from the bottom up which is where it is most needed. This publication starts with an introduction explaining why local organizations are central to meeting the MDGs. Other topics addressed are: the role of local institutions in securing land and property rights in Africa; the role of conservation institutions in reaching the MDGs; and appropriate support for associations of small and medium forest enterprises (The latter contributed by Duncan Macqueen, see his article in this issue). The role of local organizations in urban areas, in farming and people s access to food are discussed as well. Special attention is given to the impact of climate change in Africa, and which measures should be implemented to avoid achievements made in development being reversed by climate change. The last chapter explains how the implementation international procedural rights and obligations could serve the environment and poor communities. The booklet can be downloaded from the internet, entirely or as separate chapters, at: http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdf/full/ 11000IIED.pdf To order a copy, please visit the IIED website for more information (click on publications, and then the MDGs as topic). Alternatively, visit the Earthprint website directly at: http://