Cash on Delivery Aid E-Update October 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Seen and heard

Nancy Birdsall presented COD Aid at a panel discussion we hosted this month at the World Bank and IMF meetings in Istanbul. Nancy was joined by Hilde Johnson, the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Donald Kaberuka, the President of the African Development Bank, Max Lawson, the Head of Development Finance and Public Services of Oxfam Great Britain, Sam Worthington, the President of Interaction as moderator, and an excellent audience to discuss how aid can help foster, rather than undermine, linkages between governments and their people.  You can read more about the event, and the proposals shared for making development assistance more effective here.

Also this month, Bill Savedoff held information sessions on COD Aid in Lilongwe, Malawi with government officials and the donor community.  His meetings sparked useful discussions about the potential impact of a COD Aid program on progress towards universal primary completion in the country.

What about...?

Recent senior-level political support for COD Aid in the UK (for background information, read here) has led to explorations of the approach by an increasing number of NGOs.  This month, CAFOD, a UK-based international development organization issued a briefing on COD Aid.  In the briefing, they outline potential opportunities and risks they associate with COD Aid.   We will respond to their briefing on our website.  In the meantime, we welcome your reactions.

On the horizon

In mid-November I will be holding informational sessions on COD Aid in Monrovia, Liberia.  Any individuals or organizations in Liberia interested in learning more about COD Aid can contact me for more information about the trip.

For more information on COD Aid, please visit the COD Aid page of our website, and stay tuned for the launch of our forthcoming book Cash on Delivery: a New Approach to Foreign Aid with an Application to Primary Schooling this winter.  And as always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.  Please send any COD Aid-related thoughts or questions to me.

Best wishes,
Ayah Mahgoub
Program Coordinator to the President
Center for Global Development

COD Aid