EU ACP > Forum > Summaries > Summary II - 10

Summaries of the debates on the forum

Summary II - 10 - (17/04-23/04)

FOLLOWING IS A MACHINE TRANSLATION OF THE ORIGINAL IN FRENCH. IT HAS BEEN EDITED FOR MISTRANSLATION ONLY. THE ORIGINAL IN FRENCH IS AVAILABLE ON THIS WEB SITE AT: <http://www.ue-acp.org/fr/forum/syntheses/syntII10.html>

KEY WORDS: UNIVERSITIES-DEVELOPMENT RELATIONSHIP; ETHICS OF THE INTERNET; CHARTERS OF GOOD CONDUCT; RELAY OF THE FORUM

* * Title: Summary II - 10 - (17/04-23/04) * *
by: Anne SIMON <anne.simon@skynet.be>
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/presentations/simon.html>
°°° Abstract:

The role of universities in development
A battle must be led so that the African university catches up its delay with regard to the rhythm of development. Will the heavy failings of the academic system prevent it from contributing to the involvement and the control of societies in cooperation?
Charters of good conduct: tools of governance
Several participants brought elements to the discussion on movements aiming to ensure ethics in the implementation of policies and actions such as the urban health, the food security or the rebalancing of Internet. These charters intervene at different levels--of a city, a region, or the world--and are carried by actors of varied nature.
Life of the Forum, some relay experiences,:
" … even though you don't know it you have been read elsewhere, you inspired other people, you helped them to think and to raise questions" (Ana Larregle). Several types of relays.
°°°

1. The role of universities in development
A battle must be led so that the university catches up its delay with regard to the rhythm of development in African countries
After discussions on the role of universities as initiators and engines for endogenous innovation for development (Michel Ansay), mediators with populations of the South (Burkina-Faso, Bruno Jaffre), Fabien Mbassi Mbassi continues this week on the radical evolution of the role of universities that is necessary and that he qualifies as a battle to lead ".
He supports his statement by the history of African universities. They have been created at the times of independence to form the civil servants to pilot the starting of the modern economy. The economic evolution (the apparition of the private sector, the weakening of the role of the administration) and polical evolution (the single parties and the self-perpetuation of the elite through corruption), led progressively to a depreciation of the training and the buying and selling of diplomas and to a virtualization of teaching with regard to needs of the real job market of the states. For Collince Tchapjouo, the innovation is sterilized today in universities by power conflicts and schemings politicians. Worse, it prevents implementation of support to these institutions. The academics supposed "to invent the forms of resistance to the situation" didn't get involved in the definition of development lines for the country. Fabien Mbassi Mbassi uses a formula taken up in the title of this paragraph.
Would the heavy failings of the academic system prevent it from contributing to the involvement and the control of societies in cooperation? .
Before this black finding, Collince Tchapjouo thinks that the democratic control of aid is more likely to be efficient if it is exercised at the level of local groups.
2. Charters of good conduct, tools of governance
Several participants brought elements to the discussion on movements aiming to ensure ethics in the implementation of policies and actions such as the urban health, the food security or the rebalancing of Internet. These charters intervene at different levels--of a city, a region or the world--and are carried by actors of varied nature.
At a local level, Emile Jeannee, proposes the charter for the promotion of community health practices adopted by actors of health in Conakry and promoted by the Direction of the Health of the City of Conakry. <http://www.ue-acp.org/fr/documents/chartesante.html> [in French only]. This charter establishes some common values through contributions in the sector. Its object is to encourage the involvemento of grassroots populations.
At the regional level (Sahel), Jean-Marc Pradelle, in an experience report, describes how the Charter of the food aid in the Sahel (aiming in fact to the food security) has been drawn up by States of the Club of the Sahel to modify the ominous practices of a too massive food aid and not enough coordinated. This Charter, adopted in 1989, aimed to improve systems of information on the state of market chains and the risks, the coordination between Member States, and to change practices. The network of prevention of the food crisis risks always exists and several important donors have modified their practices.
On a world level, Michel Elie, recalling the very inequitable development of the Internet in the world proposes the creation of a label "for equitable Internet". He highlights that the Internet doesn't necessarily impose a particular model of globalization and that it can be used for the expression of diversity, but for it to develop in this sense it is necessary that the "underprivileged of the Internet" exercise a strong pressure and organizations get involved. He proposes that is defined a "charter of the equitable Internet". Organizations getting involved to respect this charter and to contribute to a fund for development of an equitable Internet would obtain the "equitable Internet" label, the setting up of which could be confided to a pluralistic and specialized committee. He also proposes the setting up of a system of exchange of knowledge and of practices on Internet and its uses, all the more that the uses of the Internet in countries of the South can prove to be very different and full of teachings.
In answer to proposals of Gilles Mersadier, he insists on the fact that it is not necessary to deprive countries of the South of the latest technology so as not to stall their appropriation of the tool (example, time of connection).
3. Life of the Forum, experiences of relay of the forum
After discussions and the test of local " relay " in the South (meetings in Cameroon and joint message), the mobilization of networks of the press (collective of Abidjan), of universities and other networks of members who are active on the forum (see Summaries II - 4 and II - 5), Ana Larregle tells us how she organized a relay of the forum with Doctorate students of "social and professional practices of development " at the IEDES Paris I. She explained them then the working of the forum, gave them progressively copies of messages to direct their curiosity and to stimulate their questioning on the future of cooperation. The common work on contributions made the workshops living and brought to students experiences and points of view which they were able to compare, to analyze and to discuss.
Other participants of the forum play this role of relay, such as Jules Dumas Nguebou who re-transmitted this week contributions from Fabien Mbassi Mbassi and Collince Tchapjouo, or as Bruno Jaffre who transmits messages concerning the discussion on the university to a professor of the University of Ouagadougou.
Note: The author of summaries, Anne Simon, also transmitted contributions to officers of the European Commission in relation with topics and countries of which they are responsible.
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INFOS
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Gilles Mersadier announces that Inter-Réseaux is going to open at end of April a forum on the NICT for development in Africa: write to liste-inet-afrique@inter-reseaux.org. This forum will be accompanied by a Web site, of a newsletter, etc.
Bruno Jaffré presents the newsletter of his organization (CSDPTT: cooperation solidarity development in the PTT) subscriptions to which contributes to the financing of actions of Telecommunications development in Africa <http://www.globenet.org/csdptt> [in French only]

Anne SIMON
Forum Coordination <moderation@ue-acp.org>
<http://www.ue-acp.org/fr/forum/participants.html>

contact : publication@ue-acp.org