Make the Danes More Ignorant:
The Danish government intends to cut back 32 million DKK on appropriations which Danish NGOs so far have spent every year raising the public awareness in regard to development aid and development issues, the newspaper Jyllands-Posten reports August 17th.
“This bill is narrow-minded and contradictive,” says MS’s Secretary General Lars Udsholt. “The government talks a lot about globalisation and the challenges Denmark is facing - challenges that require insight and engagement in complex international questions. But now the same politicians intend to take away Danish citizens means of understanding the living conditions in poor countries. By cutting back on Danida’s (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) financing of awareness activities the insight into global issues is weakened and so is Denmark’s ability to take advantage of the development and meet our international responsibility.”
Since the sixties all Danish government have found it important to ‘create, maintain and deepen the population’s understanding of Denmark’s participation in the international development cooperation’, as it is written in the purpose of Danida’s financing of awareness activities.
In addition to the broad aim of Danida’s financing of awareness activities Danish NGOs have been allowed to spend a small part of their appropriations doing awareness work in Denmark.
“This project-related awareness work can amount to no more than three percent of the entire budget which must be considered a small price to pay to make sure that Danish tax payers understand how and why their money is spend,” Lars Udsholt says.
In the bill in the Budget for 2006 the government intends to allocate 32 million DKK for development work in the South instead of awareness work.
In May the parliament granted 30 million DKK to awareness work in regard to the EU-referendum thereby acknowledging the importance of public enlightenment and debate. A few months later the government intends to remove a corresponding sum of money from the development work.
"But is the need for public debate about globalisation, poverty and international cooperation less important?” Secretary General Lars Udsholt asks.
The Minister of Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs argues that the 32 million DKK so far have been spent in a sort of competition where the organisations try to profile themselves.
“Nonsense,” says Lars Udsholt. ”MS has, for instance, maintained a library, published the periodicals Kontakt and Zapp and supported teaching about global issues in elementary school and high school. It is not a way of profiling ourselves, it is genuine activities aimed at creating public awareness. The minister really ought to see for herself all the various awareness activities conducted by Danish NGOs!”
Cut Back on Awareness Work
17. August 2005The Danish government intends to cut back 32 million DKK on appropriations which Danish NGOs so far have spent every year raising the public awareness in regard to development aid and development issues, the newspaper Jyllands-Posten reports August 17th.
“This bill is narrow-minded and contradictive,” says MS’s Secretary General Lars Udsholt. “The government talks a lot about globalisation and the challenges Denmark is facing - challenges that require insight and engagement in complex international questions. But now the same politicians intend to take away Danish citizens means of understanding the living conditions in poor countries. By cutting back on Danida’s (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) financing of awareness activities the insight into global issues is weakened and so is Denmark’s ability to take advantage of the development and meet our international responsibility.”
Since the sixties all Danish government have found it important to ‘create, maintain and deepen the population’s understanding of Denmark’s participation in the international development cooperation’, as it is written in the purpose of Danida’s financing of awareness activities.
In addition to the broad aim of Danida’s financing of awareness activities Danish NGOs have been allowed to spend a small part of their appropriations doing awareness work in Denmark.
“This project-related awareness work can amount to no more than three percent of the entire budget which must be considered a small price to pay to make sure that Danish tax payers understand how and why their money is spend,” Lars Udsholt says.
In the bill in the Budget for 2006 the government intends to allocate 32 million DKK for development work in the South instead of awareness work.
In May the parliament granted 30 million DKK to awareness work in regard to the EU-referendum thereby acknowledging the importance of public enlightenment and debate. A few months later the government intends to remove a corresponding sum of money from the development work.
"But is the need for public debate about globalisation, poverty and international cooperation less important?” Secretary General Lars Udsholt asks.
The Minister of Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs argues that the 32 million DKK so far have been spent in a sort of competition where the organisations try to profile themselves.
“Nonsense,” says Lars Udsholt. ”MS has, for instance, maintained a library, published the periodicals Kontakt and Zapp and supported teaching about global issues in elementary school and high school. It is not a way of profiling ourselves, it is genuine activities aimed at creating public awareness. The minister really ought to see for herself all the various awareness activities conducted by Danish NGOs!”
