Development Cooperation Handbook/List of questions we have asked to Development Cooperation Stakeholders

In the Vrinda Project, the team interviewed different stakeholders to understand who contributes to the Global Agenda for Development and what are the challenges of raising the required resources. We collected the answers and compiled them in 10 main issues where we compared the aptitudes of stakeholders from different nations while assuming responsibility for global development and inter-cultural dialogue. Each issue was then included in one of the episodes of the documentary.
See ⇒ List of Testimonials

Searching for the questions

Front-stage questions

Actors and Other Stakeholders - Who is "on board" and why?

Governments and their commitment to MDGs

• What are the factors which generate poverty?
• Do you think that the condition of the poorest in the world has improved since governments took up this responsibility?
• Do you think there are governments whose policies have changed after they committed to achieving the MDG targets?
• How is the European Union contributing to the achievement of the MDGs?
• Do you believe that the European Commission is doing enough to inform its citizens about the objectives and the scope of EU external aid programmes?

How can local policy actors contribute to the achievement of global policy objectives?

• What are the current challenges in the implementation of the MDGs agenda by Local Governments?
• What do you think Local Authorities can do in order to support the activities aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals?

What is the role of NGOs in international development cooperation?

• What are the current challenges of NGOs in implementing their mission to contribute to international development cooperation?
• What do you think about the work done by NGOs in your country?

Can we, as individuals, contribute to the achievement of the Global Development Agenda?

• What do the MDGs mean to you?
• Do you think you as an individual can make a difference to the condition of the poorest in this world?
• Do you think that common people can support and influence policies (at local, National and global level) in the implementation of the commitments taken in favor of building the “global partnership for development”?
• What so you think is the relationship between possessing a strong cultural identity and the capacity to understand and share the values of others?
• What is it to be a “world citizen”?
• Whose responsibility is it to build such the awareness of global citizenship?

Cooperation - How?

Does international aid really benefits the target populations?

• What is your perception of the efficacy of "aid" coming from another country and another culture?

How to design and manage successful cooperation programmes?

• Tell us about good projects that have helped make good progress achieve towards the MDGs.
• Do you know of "bad projects" that failed to deliver the expected contribution towards the MDGs?
• What are the factors establishing coherence for development?

• Do you think local communities have a say in how this aid is used?
• How can these communities count more in development choices and how can they utilize better the present opportunities?

Communication - How?

Media and the international communication climate

• What are the ethical responsibilities of opinion makers in enabling informed choices among the public with regard to the support for actions aimed at reducing poverty and establishing fairer relationships between developing and developed nations?

Sharing knowledge and resources

• What is the learning that your gained while working on the ground and that you would like to share with the Development Aid Donors?
• What kind of knowledge is required to remove poverty?
• What is the communication style that facilitates intercultural understanding?
• Should cultures dialogue more (for better interacting) or less (for not loosing their specific identities)?
• Did you collect, compile or create knowledge resources or tools that you would like to share with other development actors?
• How can you contribute to distribute and promote the utilization of the knowledge resources and tools collected, organized and made available through the Vrinda project?

Backstage questions

• What is our documentary purpose?
• Why is this project needed? What are its challenges?
  
• What are the important issues to be discussed?
• Who is our audience and how to reach it?

See also

In the documentary script ⇒ Searching for the questions to ask