News in February 2012

IPA enlargement: Ute Eckardt joins the Cologne office
Beginning March 1st, the IPA team in Cologne will include Ms. Ute Eckardt, senior economist specialised in public financial management and fiduciary instruments of international cooperation. Ute has most recently worked for GIZ in the International Tax Compact (ITC) program of support to combat fiscal fraud. (To find out more about ITC, click here.)

Promoting Good Governance in Eastern Europe
The Carl Friedrich Goerdeler-Kolleg for Good Governance, with support from German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Robert Bosch Foundation, trains young East European professionals in matters of good governance and responsible, sustainable action for public sector development. Under the guidance of the former vice president of the European Commission, Mr. Guenter Verheugen, 17 participants from 6 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey) are participating in the 12-month 2011-12 program. Part of their program is to design and implement good governance projects in their own home countries. Training in project management for good governance has been provided by Jim Bennett, who also coaches the participants per distance. Jim will meet with the Kolleg participants in early March 2012 in Tiblissi (Georgia) to carry out a joint mid-term review of the ongoing projects. (To find out more about the Carl Friedrich Goerdeler-Kolleg, click here.)

German Development Cooperation with Togo
The German government has decided to re-establish development cooperation with Togo, citing improvements in the country's democratic governance, reform and poverty reduction agenda as well as its human rights record. The Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has reserved a first commitment equivalent to 27 million EUR for projects and programs to be financed in the coming years. During the week of January 30, Georg Bernhöft visited Togo to assist local partners in the formulation of new projects and programs, in particular in the areas of vocational training, good governance and decentralisation. (To find out more about EITI in Guinea, click here.)

Southern Asia: Disaster Relief and Preparedness
Kathrin Rothhaas, now Darmstadt-based and working for ADRA, a German NGO, was recently promoted to the position of Regional Coordinator for Southern Asia. With a geographic focus on India and Afghanistan, her main thematic sector is now disaster preparedness. Among other things, Kathrin has been dealing with assistance to 65,000 refugees in India, combatting massive rat infestation on the Burma-Bangladesh border, and developing emergency response systems for earthquake and flood disasters. (To find out more about ADRA, click here.)

Costa Rica: Sustainable Forestry
Since March 2009 Stefanie Janssen has been working for the Freiburg firm BaumInvest in marketing, distribution and project development. BaumInvest is an investment fund that manages sustainable forestry on former grazing lands in Costa Rica. Besides producing high-quality wood, the project contributes to climate protection and promotes local employment. (To find out more about BaumInvest, click here.)

IPA in the FiFo Ost Databank
International Policy Advising has been listed in the FiFo Ost Databank of international organisations engaged in technical assistance to Eastern European countries. (You can access our company profile in the FiFo Ost website by clicking here.)

IPA Documentation and Information Services
Our stock of "grey" literature includes analyses and reports from many fields, in particular economic and social policy advising, international project management and organisational analysis. If you would like to have copies of any of these documents, we can provide them for a cost-covering fee. The list of 900 document titles, in Excel format, can be sent upon request, or you can access the text listing by clicking here.