WEBVTT - generated by Videoportal Universität Freiburg

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In the German development agenda,

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the term development cooperation has replaced
the term development aid.

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So that means that Western states have the
unique qualification

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to develop and help other countries that they
have

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declared underdeveloped.

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That is replaced by the idea of cooperation
and collaboration

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at eye level.

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I wonder, however, if cooperation at eye level
can work at all

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in a world that is still dominated by the West?

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Or is this notion not deceptive

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and euphemistic?

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I think this question on

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the change from development aid to development
cooperation,

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specific to Germany, is really important because
it's one of the largest donors,

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providers of official

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“development assistance” which is the technical
term

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but it is important to note that this change
in the terms

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is not specific to Germany.

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So if you look at how the United Nations has
tracked the changes

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in development paradigms, in the 1940s,

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it was called “technical assistance to underdeveloped
countries.”

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No one says “underdeveloped countries”
anymore.

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But over time,  that has changed to “development
cooperation”.

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So it's not only Germany that's using these
different terms,

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but in Germany's case, what I think is very
important,

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aside from an imbalance in relations, is to
just be mindful

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that there's a difference between humanitarian
aid, which is still called aid

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and development assistance or cooperation.

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Humanitarian aid is when it's emergencies

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and the rules aren't as strict with that.

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But development cooperation or assistance

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is often mediated by this extra layer

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because it goes through a lot of corporations

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and civil society organizations which come
with their own agendas.

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Also important is that a lot of Germany's development
assistance

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is actually development finance.

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And so when we have conversations about what
it means that

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is this finance being given at the same level,

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it's important to note that this paves the
way for trade.

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So the biggest recipients of German development
cooperation

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are middle income countries.

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It's not the poorest of the poor people or
states that Germany trades with.

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It's China, it's India, it's Syria,

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So in asking these questions, we also need
to ask:

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is development assistance or cooperation actually
just a euphemism for trade

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And what does it mean if we are more conscious

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about these changing paradigms and policies
and practices of development?