activity report 2013
TRANSCRIPT
BELGIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
As a public agency, BTC manages development projects for the Belgian Government and other commissioners. In doing so, we contribute to the efforts of the international community to end poverty in the world.
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BTC IN 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SECTORS AND PROJECTS Agriculture - 17 Public-law company with social purposes – 4
1 head office, 18 country offices – 5
More than 1,600 staff members – 6
Complementary tasks – 7
Implementing governmental development cooperation – 8
Interventions for others – 9
BTC in Belgium – 10
Law on Belgian development cooperation – 11
Sectors and themes – 12
Middle-income countries – 14
Fragile states – 15
Health care - 23
Education - 26
Governance - 29
Infrastructure - 32
PUBLIC-LAW COMPANY WITH SOCIAL PURPOSES
237 255 253
229 235
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Its only shareholder is the Belgian
State, which is represented in the
General Meeting by the Minister of
Development Cooperation.
The relations between the Belgian
State and BTC are governed by a
management contract.
For 2013, the overall portfolio of
activities amounted to € 235,615,401.
Diagram: Evolution of the portfolio (millions of euros)
BTC is a public-law company with social purposes, established by the Law of 21 December 1998.
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1 HEAD OFFICE, 18 COUNTRY OFFICES
BTC's head office is in Brussels. BTC also has a country office in the main city of each of the 18 partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation.
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Bolivia
Palestinian
Territory
Vietnam
• Algeria
• Morocco
• Senegal
• Mali
• Niger
• Benin
• Congo (Dem.Rep.)
• Uganda
• Rwanda
• Burundi
• Tanzania
• Mozambique
• South Africa
Belgium
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MORE THAN 1,600 STAFF MEMBERS
BTC follows a transparent and modern human resources policy that allows for balancing private life with a professional career (telework), offers extensive training opportunities, promotes internal mobility...
Staff 2013 % m/f
Staff in Brussels 187 45/55
International experts 185 81/19
Junior assistants 66 33/67
Local staff in the country offices 179 60/40
Local staff in the interventions 1014 77/23
Total 1631 60/40
Hiring local staff
To pursue its mission BTC wants to
work with local staff as much as
possible. By coaching local staff and by
providing training opportunities BTC
also wants to strengthen local
capacities in the partner countries.
Everywhere, the recruitment
procedures are open, objective and
transparent. Local staff sign an
employment contract that has been
approved by local legists and that
complies with local legislation.
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COMPLEMENTARY TASKS
Activity Volume*
Governmental cooperation 216
Infocycle (training), awareness-raising,
Trade for Development, emergency aid,
rehabilitation aid…
7,5
Activities commissioned by third parties
(European Union, World Bank, DFID etc…) 9
Junior Programme 2,5
Total 235
* x 1,000,000 €
BTC's tasks are varied but very complementary. Consequently, natural synergies are created in further support of the strategies.
92%
3% 4% 1%
Governmental cooperation
Training, awareness-raising, Trade for Development, emergency aid,rehabilitation aid...Activities for third parties
Junior Programme
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IMPLEMENTING GOVERNMENTAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
BTC's interventions in Central Africa (Congo, Burundi, Rwanda) represent 54% of the portfolio of activities.
BTC's core business is implementing
Belgium's governmental development
cooperation in the 18 partner countries.
In 2013, expenditure for governmental
development cooperation amounted to
more than 216 million euros.
The main regions of governmental
development cooperation are Central
Africa (54% of expenditure) and North
and West Africa and the Middle East
(25% of expenditure).
Diagram: Geographical breakdown of expenditure 2013
54%
25%
9%
7% 5%
Central Africa (RDC+RWA+BDI)
N&W Africa + Middle East
E&S Africa
Latin America
Asia
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INTERVENTIONS FOR OTHER DONORS
In 2013, BTC implemented projects for
third-party donors in ten countries.
In terms of volume, IS is mainly active
in Benin, Congo, Rwanda and
Tanzania.
The European Union (EU) represented
41 % of the volume of IS activities in
2013, followed by the French
development agency (AFD), which
represented 30% of the portfolio.
Through its International Services (IS) department, BTC works for donors other than the Belgian State, such as the European Commission and the World Bank.
These interventions are often jointly
financed with other countries or
organisations, which allows for
economies of scale and a bigger
impact.
Thanks to this form of cooperation, BTC can compare the quality of its operations to the quality offered by other organisations (benchmark).
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BTC IN BELGIUM
BTC is also active in Belgium with specific programmes: development cooperation education, raising awareness among young people, a fair trade coordination centre and a programme for young "development workers".
Infocycle
A training course to better understand
international solidarity. More than
1,000 participants per year.
Trade for development
Assistance to producers organisations
in countries in the South and promotion
of fair and sustainable trade.
Annoncer la couleur - Kleur
Bekennen
Raising awareness among young
people aged 3 to 18 about global
citizenship issues.
Junior Programme
Since 2006, more than 300 young
people have acquired a first
professional experience in
development cooperation.
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LAW ON BELGIAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
The general objective of the Belgian Development Cooperation is to contribute to sustainable human development.
The actions of Belgium must foster
sustainable and inclusive economic
growth to improve the living conditions
of people in developing countries and
to eradicate poverty, exclusion and
inequality.
Priority is given to local entrepreneur-
ship, social economy and decent work.
In this respect, the Belgian
Development Cooperation wants to
strengthen countries through capacity
development so they can take their
development in their own hands.
With its interventions, Belgium wants to
contribute to consolidating democracy
and the rule of law, including good
governance and the respect of human
dignity, human rights and fundamental
freedoms, including sexual and
reproductive rights, with particular
attention for the fight against any form
of discrimination.
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SECTORS AND THEMES
Governmental development cooperation concentrates on a maximum of three sectors per partner country. The sectors are chosen on the basis of the partner country's policy priorities.
Sectors
The four core sectors are:
• Health care, including access to
health care for all, reproductive
health and the fight against the
major endemic diseases, including
HIV and AIDS as a transversal
theme
• Education and training
• Agriculture and food security
• Basic infrastructure
Priority themes
The priority themes of the Belgian
Development Cooperation are:
• Human rights, including children's
rights
• Decent and sustainable work
• Society building.
Transversal themes
Belgium includes the following trans-
versal themes in all its development
cooperation interventions:
• The gender dimension, which aims
at the empowerment of women and
gender equality in society ;
• The protection of the environment
and natural resources, including the
fight against climate change,
droughts and worldwide
deforestation.
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SECTORS AND THEMES
Diagram: Sector share (percentage) in BTC's portfolio
The classical sectors – health care, agriculture and education – remain the main domain of activity of the governmental development cooperation.
Capacity development
Capacity development is much broader
than only improving knowledge and
skills of individuals. It is also about
governance and is therefore also
related to organisational and
institutional development.
Belgium follows the OECD
recommendation and automatically
includes capacity development in all
programmes of governmental
development cooperation.
Health
Agriculture
Education
Governance
Water & Sanitation
Transport and storage
Multisector
Energy
Environment
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
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A DIFFERENT APPROACH IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Middle-Income Countries
The Middle-Income Countries among the
partner countries of the Belgian
Development Cooperation are:
• Algeria
• Bolivia
• Ecuador
• Morocco
• Palestinian Territory
• Peru
• Senegal
• Vietnam
• South Africa
The Belgian Development Cooperation uses different approaches for the differing political, economic and social and cultural context of the partner countries.
Strategy
The strategy of the Belgian
Development Cooperation in the
Middle-Income Countries targets the
transfer of knowledge, technology
and know-how.
In the long run, instead of development
cooperation, broader bilateral relations
must be pursued with these countries.
Middle-Income Countries represent 26% of BTC's portfolio of activities.
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FRAGILE STATES REPRESENT 56% OF BTC'S PORTFOLIO
According to the OECD, states are
fragile when governments and state
structures lack capacity and/or political
will to deliver safety and security, good
governance, and poverty reduction to
their citizens.
Based on the OECD's ranking (2014)
there are 51 fragile states worldwide;
they are home to about 1.5 billion
people.
In recent years international
development assistance to fragile
states has systematically decreased.
'Resilience' is a concept that was
developed as a counterpart to the
'fragile state' concept.
Resilient states can cope with shocks
and transformations and manage
radical change and challenges, while
maintaining political stability and
preventing violence.
Resilient states show that they have
the capacity and legitimacy to govern
their population and territory.
The 'fragile' partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation are: Burundi, the Democratic Republic Congo, Mali, Niger, Uganda and the Palestinian Territory.
The strategy of the Belgian
Development Cooperation in fragile
states targets the development and
strengthening of the economic and
social regulatory capacity of the state in
such varied domains as labour rights,
health care, education and
development. The goal is to enhance
the partner countries' resilience.
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Belgium's public services have very valuable expertise for governmental development cooperation. BTC has signed memoranda of understanding with public services such as the federal police, the justice department and the social security department, so BTC can call upon their experts to contribute to the development of our partner countries. Carl Michiels President of the Management Committee
« «
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AGRICULTURE
Belgium supports sustainable family farming. It aims to improve food security and to contribute to sustainable economic growth. The strategy is based on four axes.
Produce more and sustainably
First, production must be increased in a
sustainable way. That is why Belgium's
assistance targets improved access to
means of production: seeds, water,
information and innovation, financial
services...
Commercialising products
A second axis is commercialising
agricultural products. This requires
easy access to the markets, improved
transport infrastructure, efficient
information and communication
services and stronger producers
organisations.
Capacity development
A third axis targets capacity
development within ministries and
public services, in civil society and
farmers organisations by means of
policy support and support to the
coordination of sector actors
(agricultural organisations, the private
sector, local authorities...).
Strengthening the position of
women
A fourth axis is strengthening the
position of women. Women's access to
land, markets and information is limited
still even though they play a key role in
the production, processing and
marketing of food.
The Belgian Development Cooperation
takes the lead of the donor group in
several partner countries and also
leads the dialogue with the partner
ministries, in Benin for agriculture and
in Niger and Mali for livestock breeding.
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RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR
12,000 people helped
Small producers are encouraged and
assisted to become associates. They
are supported in taking new initiatives
and in boosting and diversifying their
business. Also the distribution and
commercialisation of products is
targeted.
In total, support is provided to more
than 80 projects in community
tourism, the fisheries, small-stock
farming, cocoa, coffee, fruit and
vegetable culture, among others.
PDRN (2007-2014)
The Programme for rural development
in the North of Ecuador (PDRN) helps
local authorities of five provinces* to
stimulate the rural economy. It aims to
improve the employment prospects and
the living conditions of the poorest
inhabitants. The budget amounts to 14
million euros.
*Imbabura, Carchi, Esmeraldas, Manabí, Pichincha
Manabi
Esmeraldas
Carchi
Imbabura
Quito
Pichincha
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RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR
Increased dairy production has helped stop the rural exodus in the Pichincha province.
At only two hours from Quito, in Pedro
Moncayo and Cayambe, in the
Pichincha province, more than 2,000
dairy farmers have associated in the
Campinorte Company. With the
support of the Rural Development
Programme (PDRN) and the provincial
council of Pichincha they succeeded in
significantly increasing their dairy
production. They succeeded in
stabilising dairy prices and sales. This
stability also impacted the behaviour of
youths in the region.
"I used to believe my future was in the
city. There were no means for me to
study. But times have changed and we
became aware that we have a huge
potential here in which we can invest
and work," says Gonzalo Ramirez, the
president of the Campinorte Company.
Laura Guatemal, an administrator at a
dairy collection centre, explains,
“Young people used to move to the city
because there were no opportunities
for them in the countryside. Now – after
studying – they do actually return to the
community. And the families stay
together."
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SPAT II (2010-2016)*
The Strategic Plan for Agricultural
Transformation aims to provide
Rwandan farmers with efficient public
assistance and to improve access to
advisory services and high-quality
planting materials for better and
sustainable crops. The total budget for
this large-scale programme amounts to
18 million euros.
*Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation
Training in the field
Most Rwandan farmers have small
plots only, so it is important to get the
most out of the land. Therefore,
Rwandan farmers are keen to learn
and apply practices to increase their
productivity and income.
At a Farmer Field School (FFS)
farmers are trained in the field for a
whole season, but not in the traditional
way. They are taught to make
decisions based on evidence from field
observation and experiments.
Farmers' income more than doubled
Overall, 92% of the 2,900 FFS¬ groups
have increased yields with 50%. The
average income of the farmers has
more than doubled (+164%).
Furthermore, FFS farmers use fewer
pesticides and conserve local genetic
resources.
190,000 HAPPY RWANDAN FARMERS
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The success of the Farmer Field Schools lies in the fact that farmers learn to find solutions and take decision. It emboldens them to deal with future challenges.
"We really could not believe our eyes
when we harvested our cassava in the
FFS-plots. We just had never seen
such big cassava roots. I think it was
six or even seven times bigger than
what we are used to!" explains Ernest
Kabeja, a cassava farmer. "Luckily
enough, the big ones taste good as
well."
190,000 HAPPY RWANDAN FARMERS
"We have learned which insects attack
our plants and which insects are our
friends. I am convinced we now are better
prepared to deal with whatever the future
has in store. And even if we do not find
the solutions ourselves, we still can rely
on our facilitator," explains Aimable
Gatambire, who joined a FFS group in
2011.
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HEALTH CARE
Traditionally, the health sector is very important for the Belgian Development Cooperation. Healthy people are more productive and therefore contribute more to the development of their country.
Healthy policies
Also in developing countries the state
is responsible for the health policy and
the organisation of health care. BTC
helps by strengthening ministries and
developing efficient healthcare
networks.
Also, a good health insurance system
is equally important to ensure access
to health care.
Witness of reality
As a development agency BTC
distinguishes itself because it is active
at the central policy level as well as at
the local level where healthcare
services are delivered.
For the Belgian Development
Cooperation local involvement is a
conscious choice since that way BTC
can witness the reality of the field. It is
essential for conducting a credible
dialogue with the health instances of
the partner country.
Partnership
Partnership is not an empty box. All
stakeholders are explicitly involved in
the interventions in the health sector:
the ministry of health, the civilian
population, health staff, civil servants,
religious communities and other
organisations that are active in the
health sector. In this respect
development cooperation can be an
intermediary to have these different
groups enter into a dialogue to achieve
a common goal.
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REDUCED INFANT MORTALITY IN NIGER
Less than 50% of women in
Niger benefit of prenatal
health care and only 29% of
women are assisted by
qualified staff when giving
birth. Niger's Ministry of
Public Health has drawn up a
national plan to deal with the
issues.
PFAS (2010-2014)
The Project in support to training health
workers in Niger (PFAS) aims to
strengthen the technical skills of health
workers in view of improving the quality
of healthcare services.
Belgium also supports Niger's National
health sector development plan
through two other interventions. The
total budget for this training programme
amounts to 3.8 million euros.
The most vulnerable first
The objective is to provide access to
health care for all – and especially for
the most vulnerable layers of the
population. Under the PFAS, 53 nurses
were trained in anaesthesia, in
gynaecological surgery and in
radiology techniques. 23 general
practitioners were trained in essential
surgery. To reduce infant mortality,
each district hospital must have a
functional operating theatre with a
surgery team.
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EDUCATION
In the education sector the interventions of the Belgian governmental cooperation target primary education, technical and vocational education and the access to high-quality education.
Primary education
The quality of primary education is a
priority of the Belgian Development
Cooperation. Belgium provides support
via projects, through the education
budget of the partner countries or
through multi-donor funds, such as the
Global Partnership for Education*.
* www.globalpartnership.org
Technical and vocational education
Technical and vocational education
must be aligned with the needs of the
labour market. Working with private
businesses and civil society – for
instance through internships or
alternating education – is of major
importance to help youths find
employment or create a business of
their own.
Belgium also pays specific attention to
education opportunities for girls, care
for the environment and prospects of
decent work.
Pedagogical innovation
The quality of education is enhanced
by improving teachers' education,
through pedagogical innovation (e-
learning) and by using a pupil-centred
approach that turns pupils into active
players in the learning process.
The design of new school buildings
includes child-friendly and environ-
mental features.
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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN BURUNDI
Focusing on the labour market
School principals and staff are trained
to improve the administrative, financial
and logistics management of schools.
Also teachers are trained to improve
the content and methodological
quality of course materials.
The offer is diversified and new topics
such as catering and food are added
so education is better aligned with the
needs of the labour market and
graduates find work more easily.
AEPT (2011-2017)
Belgium has supported education in
Burundi for more than ten years. The
Technical and vocational education
support project (AFPT) aims to improve
the management of 50 technical and
vocational schools. It also wants to
boost the credibility and attractiveness
of technical and vocational education
by promoting the education offer. The
budget for this project amounts to 7
million euros.
Encouraging results
In most cases attendance at the
schools has doubled. So, because of
better education the image the
population has of these institutions has
definitely improved.
Burundi's Ministry of Education has
decided to adopt the new school
management model in all technical
and vocational schools in the country.
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Governance principles
Equity: addressing inequalities.
Inclusiveness/participation: citizens
take part in decision-making.
Accountability: governments do what
they say and say what they do.
Rule of law: equitable and transparent
laws, regulations and codes.
Transparency: government actions
and decisions are open to scrutiny.
Integrity: to guarantee dignity,
trustworthiness, sincerity and honesty.
Why governance ?
Governance is the state's ability to
serve its citizens. It includes the rules,
processes and behaviour by which
interests are articulated, resources are
managed and power is exercised in
society. Governance is a basic
measure of the stability and
performance of a society.
GOVERNANCE
“Good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development.” (Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan)
Supply and demand
BTC's work focuses on strengthening
the rule of law and the administration of
justice, public administration, civil
service and public finance
management, and decentralisation and
local government. This is the 'supply
side' of governance.
In sectoral support programmes
(governance in education, healthcare,
agriculture….), BTC also collaborates
with 'demand-side' actors involved in
reform (civil society, check and balance
institutions), bridging gaps between
important players and building
consensus. 30
JUSTICE IN BURUNDI
Results
In three years time, significant results
were obtained in Muramvya where the
County Court was rehabilitated and the
functioning of the various judiciary
institutions of the province improved.
The inmate population of Muramvya jail
dropped with 30%. The waiting time
prior to judgement was reduced by
17%. The number of people in pre-trial
detention dropped spectacularly.
Justice Programme (2008-2016)
The programme aims to enhance the
fairness, credibility and effectiveness of
penal justice delivered and
administered by the judiciary and
penitential institutions, in particular for
those awaiting trial, detainees and
minors who are in conflict with the law.
The total budget amounts to 15 million
euros.
The problems encountered
Shortcomings in the application of laws
and procedures lead to illegal detention
under poor conditions with limits on
police custody being exceeded. The lack
of organisation also renders case
processing – from the arrest to the
delivery of judgement – very long.
Work methods and resources needed to
be modernised within juridictions, justice
professionals needed to be trained and
professional practices needed to be
improved.
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Water and Sanitation
By 2020, the government of Rwanda
aims to supply drinking water to its
entire population and to put in place
necessary individual and collective
sanitation facilities across the country.
The Belgian Development Cooperation
supported these ambitions by
implementing a water and sanitation
project in the Southern Province, in
three mainly rural districts (Nyaruguru,
Huye and Gisagara) between 2005 and
2013.
Main results
• 200,000 people gained access to
drinking water
• 30% reduction in water-borne
diseases
• 600 kms of drinking water networks
• Ecological latrines for 75,000
pupils
• 55,000 households sensitized on
basic hygiene
DRINKING WATER FOR 200,000 PEOPLE IN RWANDA
PEPAPS (2005-2013)
The Drinking Water and Sanitation
Project in the Southern Province
(PEPAPS) was a joint effort of Rwanda
(1.3 million euros), Belgium (17.9
million euros) and the European
Commission (4.3 million euros),
totalling a budget of 23.5 million euros.
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Employment-intensive method
For resurfacing roads and for the
ensuing improved sanitation an
employment-intensive method was
used. The Paving project has
developed the innovative concept of a
social employment-intensive method: it
concerns employment-intensive
construction throughout (and even
after) which workers benefit from social
coaching through professional and
social skills training, including family
planning, civic education and hygiene.
Learning – reinsertion
The Paving project allowed 4,500
inhabitants of the three communes to
work and jointly learn through the on-
site training programme, in view of
social rebuilding and reconciliation.
Workers are considered learners more
than labour.
Professional insertion is fostered by
giving each learner the chance of
developing an income-generating
activity.
PAVING PROJECT (2009-2014)
The Paving project built about 36
kilometres of paved roads in three
communes in northern Bujumbu. In
addition to the renovation of
infrastructure, the project aims to
contribute to boosting the economic
and social development of these
communes. The total budget amounts
to 16 million euros.
SOCIAL PAVING IN BURUNDI
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BELGIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
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