English: Vrinda Dar, Secretary Kautilya Society for Intercultural Dialogue answers to questions about the efficacy of Development Cooperation Activities.

"European Union funds various programs across the world to help governments achieve their commitments to the MDG’s and is enabling local governments in Development Countries to lead and own the process of making lasting changes in people's lives. However, the European Commission does little to inform its own citizens about the positive impacts being made by initiatives that it is funding around the world. Its citizens don't know about the objectives of its programs and the activities it is funding. And also where development work takes place, few people know that changes are being made possible through the contribution of European tax payer. I have observed that where the European Commission is closer to the ground reality, in terms of its own presence, its support to non-government organizations and local governments, the nature of its contribution and the impact of its funding are more visible. But now the way European Commission communicates is mainly bureaucratic and basic. It does not give enough importance to communicating with the opinion makers and development actors and stakeholders whom people trust and listen to, for e.g. educators, media professionals and local authorities: the interlocutors between the external agencies and the local people."

See her full interview.