Suchergebnisse

"This study is about ardent Korean female fans of gay representation in the media, their status in contemporary Korean society, their relationship with other groups such as gay men, and, above all, their contribution to reshaping the media's portrayal of gay people, as well as the public attitude toward sexually marginalized groups. Kwon calls the female fandom of gay portrayals "FANtasy culture" and argues that it enables the present growing visibility of the gay body in Korean mainstream media. She also argues that fandom has functioned as a catalyst to ameliorate a harsh reality for a marginalized group. The FANtasy subculture started forming around text-based media, such as yaoi (or "boys' love" manga, a Japanese genre), fan fiction, and U.S. gay-themed dramas, and has been influenced by diverse social, political, and economic conditions, such as the democratization of Korea, an open policy toward foreign media and cultural products, the diffusion of consumerism, government investment in Korean culture, the Hollywoodization of the film industry, and the popularity of Korean culture abroad. While much scholarly attention has been paid to the female fans of homoerotic cultural texts in other countries, Kwon explores both the understudied Korean case and another aspect of the subculture that has been relatively neglected: its location in and influence on the society at large"--

En Colombia existen estructuras económicas y sociales desequilibradas, lo que conlleva una clara desigualdad que se materializa en la mala distribución de la riqueza, lo cual impide el progreso de la productividad del país. Las organizaciones del trabajo (Sindicatos) representan el compromiso del gobierno y los empleadores, para que se tome en cuenta la posición de los trabajadores en los diferentes escenarios del proceso de diálogo social. Sin embargo, el movimiento sindical colombiano carece de políticas de modernización, cambios estructurales y unión entre las centrales sindicales. En la investigación realizada frente a las problemáticas evidenciadas, en la cual se aplicaron técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas, se obtuvo como resultado la generación de recomendaciones donde los sindicatos deben concentrar sus intereses no solo en lo laboral sino que se tiene que involucrar en los aspectos sociales como medio para la superación de las dificultades; gestionar y aprovechar los espacios de participación para generar estrategias que aporten en la construcción de las políticas públicas que contribuyan al desarrollo del país. Palabras clave: Desarrollo, organizaciones de trabajo, sindicato, acción colectiva y movimientos sociales. ; In Colombia exists unbalanced economics and socials structures what cause an evident inequality that is materialized in the bad distribution of wealth, it does not permit the progress of the country. The work organizations (labor unions) represent the commitment of the governments and employers looking for a position of employees in different scenarios of social discuss process. However, Colombian labor unions lack of policies of modernization, structural changes and union between central labor unions. In the research made before problems evidenced, in which was applied quantitative and qualitative techniques, it obtains as a result the generation of recommendation where the labor unions may concentrate their interests in various aspects as labor and social, as a medium to the overcoming of difficult; manage and benefit participation spaces to generate strategies that provide in the construction of public policies that contribute to the country development. Key words: Development, work organizations, labor union, collective action, social movements

This paper gives an overview of the socially clearly expressed desire & need for social security, promoted by means of various measures & policies known under the common designation: elements of the social state

En este artículo analizamos la constitución del Comité Político del Movimiento Al Socialismo-Instrumento Para la Soberanía de los Pueblos de la ciudad de La Plata, atendiendo algunos aspectos del desarrollo de la campaña para las elecciones presidenciales bolivianas de 2014 en esta ciudad Argentina, así como las relaciones que se establecieron entonces entre actores estatales y civiles de ambos países. El argumento central del texto es que el voto trasnacional no sólo genera una apertura de la comunidad política al permitir la participación desde el exterior, sino que a su vez habilita escenarios en los que los campos políticos nacionales intensifican su interpenetración y pluralidad. ; In this article we analyze the constitution of the Political Committee of the Movimiento Al Socialismo-Instrumento Para la Soberanía de los Pueblos (MAS-IPSP) of the city of La Plata, some aspects of the development of the campaign for the Bolivian presidential elections of 2014 in this Argentine locality and the relations that establishes with state and civil actors of both countries. The central argument of the text is that the transnational vote not only generates an opening of the political community allowing participation from the abroad, but also enables scenarios in which the national political fields intensify their interpenetration and plurality. ; Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Social

International audience ; In 1999, the Georgian Ministry of Culture, the Baltimore Walters Art Gallery and the Foundation for International Arts and Education decided to exhibit 160 artefacts, including sacred objects, from Georgian collections in American museums. A small circle of students in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, started a protest action against the exhibiting of sacred artefacts, soon gaining support from the political opposition leaders and a large part of population. As a result, the authorities decided to cancel the exhibition. Based on the case study of these protest actions, this chapter aims to show the ways in which modern-day Georgian nationalism has been remodeled around religious categories, and the political and social implications of this remodeling. The chapter argues, that the impoverishment of the specific religious meaning of Christianity during the socialist rule has provided a background for filling Orthodox Christianity with new meanings and interpretations. In the context of new political developments, this process facilitated the re-emergence of Christianity as the central aspect of the national and political discourse. In present-day Georgia religion appears to engage discourses and issues which go beyond religious matters, such as those of foreign policy, political orientation, corruption, and national identity. Such re-interpretation of Christianity in the contemporary context has contributed to the process of de-secularization of the society.

A democracy left untended -- The equal protection clause ensures -- Placebocracy is democracy's bastard -- Capitalism is the only economic system -- The US does not have a Free Market Economy -- Corporate welfare And protectionism are -- I'll believe In Free Trade Agreements when -- The problems of corruption, fraud And elitism -- Wars against everything -- America has real enemies -- Perhaps we should disband Congress -- We face a clear and present danger -- A few words about Homeland Security -- We are little more than commodities -- Traditional news media are growing increasingly irrelevant -- The popularity of social media clearly disproves Darwin's -- Court jesters have become kings -- The politicization of science -- A nation without a sense of humor -- Nationalism and globalism need not be -- If religion is to be the wellspring of human morality -- Artificial Intelligence, altered states and aliens -- The demise of our society -- Education Is the cornerstone -- Marginalization of the middle class -- Solutions abound.

It is least acknowledged in daily discourses that street vending is a very impor tant phenomenon. Little wonder that street vending involves negotiating for space in all its manifestations: physical space, economic opportunity and power. The vendors are coerced by both local urban and national authorities and sometimes the public at large to justify or negotiate acceptance. Very often such intentions are blind to the most basic and yet fundamental aspect that street vending is a pragmatic grassroots response to bleak socio-economic and changing political realities that have not of late spared anyone. Street vending appears in all fair ness a means to legitimate ends. Hence, access to vending spaces should be perceived as a human rights issue. Otherwise, intentions to the contrary over look the needs and capacity of street vendors to communicate, reorient and police each other in various and meaningful ways. Any discussion of the place of street vending in the urban economy of Malawi should therefore consider why and how individual street vendors become what they are - vendors. These perspectives can enrich our defective understanding and parochial pursuits of idealized versions of regulation that are hardly appropriate for a pressurized and underdeveloped country and also for a negotiated idea of the social consumption of space that we should alway aim at.

The actuality of this article is predefined by the fact that borrowings were and remain one of the important ways of the extending the Ukrainian language vocabulary, and that is why need the detailed study of their volume and different semantic processes of borrowing, adaptation, and development of foreign words, and their place in the Ukrainian lexical system. Borrowing is one of the forms of mastering of the experience of a nation with which the other nation is in contact. The purpose of the article is to study the history of inclusion into the Ukrainian language of the certain groups of the adopted vocabulary as a result of the socialeconomic and political contacts of Ukraine with other states at various historical stages. The question of contacts is complex through the variety and multidimensionality of such ethnic contacts of Ukrainians and their ancestors with different people in different directions – east, west, south, and north. Some borrowings got in Ukrainian directly, the others – through the mediation of other languages. The confirmation of this conception can be found in the works by B. Rassel, R.O. Yakobson, G.V. Kolshanskyi, etc.The task of the article includes the research of the history of forming the system of borrowings from the Romance and Germanic languages, the description of the principles of word borrowings into Ukrainian, and ways of their including and assimilation in the conceptual and linguistic picture of the world. The borrowed words are divided into the old ones that entered as early as the pre-literate period and those ones which entered at different historical stages of contacts of Ukrainians with other people.Consequently, the adopted vocabulary, co-operating with the basically Ukrainian names, makes a considerable layer of words characterized with wide application by language speakers and high dynamics. With the international connections strengthening, a chronologic sequence disappears and a certain correlation of ethnic and social aspects appears: names related to fashion and daily routine are adopted from French; lexical units connected with handicraft and military businesses – from German; economy, engineering and sports related borrowings are from English. This process gradually accelerated with the development of society.Key words: borrowings, lexical and semantic group, assimilation, linguistic picture of the world, evolution, conceptual picture of the world. ; Статтю присвячено взаємодії української мови з англійською, французькою й німецькою мовами в процесі їх контактування. Ці мови обрано для дослідження через їхню поширеність і вплив на інші мови світу. Незважаючи на відмінності їхніх мовних картин світу, загальним залишається аспект логіко-психологічного мислення людини. У статті проаналізовано основні закономірності еволюції мови, установлено шляхи, засоби й причини запозичування, визначено функції запозичених слів та розглянуто історичні процеси, пов'язані з ними.Ключові слова: запозичення, лексико-семантична група, асиміляція, мовна картина світу, еволюція, концептуальна картина світу.

У статті проаналізовано матеріали дипломатичної місії данського дипломата Юста Юля (1709–1711 рр.), а саме подорожній щоденник, який, окрім опису мандрівки теренами Східної Європи, розповідає про особливості данської дипломатії в часи Великої Північної війни та специфіку міжнародних відносин на початку XVIII ст. Поява низки джерел, які написали дипломати-очевидці та співучасники знакових подій початку XVIII ст., була наслідком нових тактик у зовнішній політиці тогочасних правителів та їхніх таємних радників. Європейські дипломати, які перебували в закордонних місіях, дуже часто були в ролі шпигуна та етнографа-мемуариста водночас. В українських дослідженнях цей текст згадується нечасто, хоча містить цікаві «українські сюжети», які ще потребують ґрунтовного вивчення та контекстуалізації. Звернення до окремих сюжетів і тем, які ще не стали предметом наукових студій, є нагодою для застосування підходів історичної антропології, культурної історії загалом та культурної історії тревелогів зокрема. У цій статті зосереджено увагу на описі повсякденного життя данського посла як невідокремної частини дипломатичної місії до Росії: перебування при дворі Петра І та мандрівки теренами Російської держави, Гетьманщини і Речі Посполитої. ; At the beginning of the 18th century, Europe was a theater of war. Most of the European states were engaged in the long and large-scale military conflicts (i.e., the Spanish Heritage War and the Great Northern War). The confrontation of some European rulers and the desire to expand political influence in certain regions has led them to new ways to achieve ambitious goals. In addition to military force, they also referred to the art of diplomacy and the assistance of diplomats, who by their order often collected information about the neighboring states, which were treated both as potential allies and as opponents at the same time. The emergence of some sources written by eyewitness-diplomats and accomplices of the iconic events of the early 18th century was the result of new tactics in the foreign policy of the rulers and their secret advisers. That is why some European diplomats who were in international missions had to be in the role of a spy and an ethnographer-memoirist at the same time. In this article, we would like to focus on the materials of the diplomatic mission of the Danish diplomat Just Juel (1709–1711). Namely, we deal with the travel diary, which, in addition to the description of the journey through Eastern Europe, tells about the features of Danish diplomacy during the Great Northern War and the specifics of the international relations of the early 18th century. Particular attention is paid to Just Juel's daily life during his stay at the court of Peter the Great and trips around the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and some Ukrainian territories. Our analysis of the diary casts a new light on the social aspects of the Danish diplomatic mission (1709–1711) and its micro-level. We show how vital was the abundance of food, convenient living conditions, life safety, transportation, leisure time for the early-modern diplomats and their diplomatic activities.

У статті проаналізовано матеріали дипломатичної місії данського дипломата Юста Юля (1709–1711 рр.), а саме подорожній щоденник, який, окрім опису мандрівки теренами Східної Європи, розповідає про особливості данської дипломатії в часи Великої Північної війни та специфіку міжнародних відносин на початку XVIII ст. Поява низки джерел, які написали дипломати-очевидці та співучасники знакових подій початку XVIII ст., була наслідком нових тактик у зовнішній політиці тогочасних правителів та їхніх таємних радників. Європейські дипломати, які перебували в закордонних місіях, дуже часто були в ролі шпигуна та етнографа-мемуариста водночас.В українських дослідженнях цей текст згадується нечасто, хоча містить цікаві «українські сюжети», які ще потребують ґрунтовного вивчення та контекстуалізації. Звернення до окремих сюжетів і тем, які ще не стали предметом наукових студій, є нагодою для застосування підходів історичної антропології, культурної історії загалом та культурної історії тревелогів зокрема. У цій статті зосереджено увагу на описі повсякденного життя данського посла як невідокремної частини дипломатичної місії до Росії: перебування при дворі Петра І та мандрівки теренами Російської держави, Гетьманщини і Речі Посполитої. ; At the beginning of the 18th century, Europe was a theater of war. Most of the European states were engaged in the long and large-scale military conflicts (i.e., the Spanish Heritage War and the Great Northern War). The confrontation of some European rulers and the desire to expand political influence in certain regions has led them to new ways to achieve ambitious goals. In addition to military force, they also referred to the art of diplomacy and the assistance of diplomats, who by their order often collected information about the neighboring states, which were treated both as potential allies and as opponents at the same time.The emergence of some sources written by eyewitness-diplomats and accomplices of the iconic events of the early 18th century was the result of new tactics in the foreign policy of the rulers and their secret advisers. That is why some European diplomats who were in international missions had to be in the role of a spy and an ethnographer-memoirist at the same time.In this article, we would like to focus on the materials of the diplomatic mission of the Danish diplomat Just Juel (1709–1711). Namely, we deal with the travel diary, which, in addition to the description of the journey through Eastern Europe, tells about the features of Danish diplomacy during the Great Northern War and the specifics of the international relations of the early 18th century. Particular attention is paid to Just Juel's daily life during his stay at the court of Peter the Great and trips around the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and some Ukrainian territories.Our analysis of the diary casts a new light on the social aspects of the Danish diplomatic mission (1709–1711) and its micro-level. We show how vital was the abundance of food, convenient living conditions, life safety, transportation, leisure time for the early-modern diplomats and their diplomatic activities.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Europe was a theater of war. Most of the European states were engaged in the long and large-scale military conflicts (i.e., the Spanish Heritage War and the Great Northern War). The confrontation of some European rulers and the desire to expand political influence in certain regions has led them to new ways to achieve ambitious goals. In addition to military force, they also referred to the art of diplomacy and the assistance of diplomats, who by their order often collected information about the neighboring states, which were treated both as potential allies and as opponents at the same time.The emergence of some sources written by eyewitness-diplomats and accomplices of the iconic events of the early 18th century was the result of new tactics in the foreign policy of the rulers and their secret advisers. That is why some European diplomats who were in international missions had to be in the role of a spy and an ethnographer-memoirist at the same time.In this article, we would like to focus on the materials of the diplomatic mission of the Danish diplomat Just Juel (1709–1711). Namely, we deal with the travel diary, which, in addition to the description of the journey through Eastern Europe, tells about the features of Danish diplomacy during the Great Northern War and the specifics of the international relations of the early 18th century. Particular attention is paid to Just Juel's daily life during his stay at the court of Peter the Great and trips around the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and some Ukrainian territories.Our analysis of the diary casts a new light on the social aspects of the Danish diplomatic mission (1709–1711) and its micro-level. We show how vital was the abundance of food, convenient living conditions, life safety, transportation, leisure time for the early-modern diplomats and their diplomatic activities. ; У статті проаналізовано матеріали дипломатичної місії данського дипломата Юста Юля (1709–1711 рр.), а саме подорожній щоденник, який, окрім опису мандрівки теренами Східної Європи, розповідає про особливості данської дипломатії в часи Великої Північної війни та специфіку міжнародних відносин на початку XVIII ст. Поява низки джерел, які написали дипломати-очевидці та співучасники знакових подій початку XVIII ст., була наслідком нових тактик у зовнішній політиці тогочасних правителів та їхніх таємних радників. Європейські дипломати, які перебували в закордонних місіях, дуже часто були в ролі шпигуна та етнографа-мемуариста водночас.В українських дослідженнях цей текст згадується нечасто, хоча містить цікаві «українські сюжети», які ще потребують ґрунтовного вивчення та контекстуалізації. Звернення до окремих сюжетів і тем, які ще не стали предметом наукових студій, є нагодою для застосування підходів історичної антропології, культурної історії загалом та культурної історії тревелогів зокрема. У цій статті зосереджено увагу на описі повсякденного життя данського посла як невідокремної частини дипломатичної місії до Росії: перебування при дворі Петра І та мандрівки теренами Російської держави, Гетьманщини і Речі Посполитої.

Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit beschreibt die Entwicklung der Republik Südsudan seit ihrer Gründung am 09.07.2011 und der dort aktiven Friedensmission der Vereinten Nationen aus einem völkerrechtlichen Blickwinkel. Die United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) wurde mit besonderem Fokus auf dem Schutz der Zivilisten untersucht, wodurch auf Entwicklungen und Erkenntnisse geschlossen werden konnte, welche das Völkerrecht im Hinblick auf aktuelle und künftige Peacekeeping Operationen geprägt oder verändert haben. Anhand einer Gegenüberstellung der wichtigsten Resolutionen des Sicherheitsrats und einzelner Zwischenfälle wurde erkannt, dass die enorme Machtzentralisierung unter Präsident Salva Kiir und der SPLM, die extremen ethnischen Spannungen zwischen den Gruppen der Nuer und Dinka, die angespannte Grenzsituation zur Republik Sudan sowie die große Skepsis im Hinblick auf die Unparteilichkeit der Mission die Hauptprobleme bei der Mandatsumsetzung bilden. Zusätzlich zu all den politischen und gesellschaftlichen Aspekten, welche die Operation erschweren, gilt es sich noch der schwierigen Umgebung sowie der enormen Lebensmittelknappheit, unter der die rund 12,2 Mio. Bürger leiden, zu stellen. Bei der Bewältigung dieser Herkulesaufgabe kam es bereits zu umfassenden Fortentwicklungen der ursprünglich von den Vereinten Nationen eingesetzten Mission. So wurden unter anderem Fact-finding Missions zur besseren Determinierung des Mandats eingesetzt und inter-operative Kooperationen zum Ausgleich für mangelnde Kapazitäten eingeleitet. Die Einführung eines Frühwarnmechanismus und einer Regional Protection Force für die effektivere Reaktion auf Konfliktsituationen verbesserte die Mandatsumsetzung ebenfalls. Unabhängige Spezialermittlungen haben dabei geholfen, eine effizientere Ausgestaltung der Operation zu ermöglichen und waren daher für die Zukunft von UNMISS besonders wertvoll. ; The presented thesis describes the development of the Republic of South Sudan since its foundation on July 9th 2011 and the local peacekeeping mission of the United Nations from a perspective of public international law. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was examined with focus on the protection of civilians, whereby findings and developments were found, which have made an impact on current as well as future peacekeeping operations and the public international law. With the help of a confrontation of the most important Security Council Resolutions and single, selected incidents it was found, that the extreme centralization of power under President Salva Kiir and his party the SPLM, the enormous ethnical tensions between the groups of the Nuer and Dinka, the difficult border situation to the Republic of Sudan and the skepticism regarding to the impartiality of the mission should be the main problems concerning the mandate implementation. In addition to all these political and social aspects, there is the extreme food shortage and the tough environment, the approximately 12,2 Mio. inhabitants of South Sudan have to cope with, which makes the accomplishment of the tasks for the UN-personnel even harder. During the last couple of years huge enhancements compared to the original mission have already been made. Amongst other things fact-finding missions for a better mandate-determination were established and an inter-operative cooperation was initiated to help out with shortages concerning personnel and gear. The establishment of an early-warning-mechanism and a Regional Protection Force helped to make a quicker reaction in situations of conflict possible and therefore improved the mandate implementation. Independent special investigations helped to achieve a more efficient way of operating and were therefore very precious for the future of UNMISS. ; vorgelegt von Camille Bernhart ; Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung des Verfassers/der Verfasserin ; Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Diplomarbeit, 2018 ; (VLID)2679563

У статті проаналізовано матеріали дипломатичної місії данського дипломата Юста Юля (1709–1711 рр.), а саме подорожній щоденник, який, окрім опису мандрівки теренами Східної Європи, розповідає про особливості данської дипломатії в часи Великої Північної війни та специфіку міжнародних відносин на початку XVIII ст. Поява низки джерел, які написали дипломати-очевидці та співучасники знакових подій початку XVIII ст., була наслідком нових тактик у зовнішній політиці тогочасних правителів та їхніх таємних радників. Європейські дипломати, які перебували в закордонних місіях, дуже часто були в ролі шпигуна та етнографа-мемуариста водночас.В українських дослідженнях цей текст згадується нечасто, хоча містить цікаві «українські сюжети», які ще потребують ґрунтовного вивчення та контекстуалізації. Звернення до окремих сюжетів і тем, які ще не стали предметом наукових студій, є нагодою для застосування підходів історичної антропології, культурної історії загалом та культурної історії тревелогів зокрема. У цій статті зосереджено увагу на описі повсякденного життя данського посла як невідокремної частини дипломатичної місії до Росії: перебування при дворі Петра І та мандрівки теренами Російської держави, Гетьманщини і Речі Посполитої. ; At the beginning of the 18th century, Europe was a theater of war. Most of the European states were engaged in the long and large-scale military conflicts (i.e., the Spanish Heritage War and the Great Northern War). The confrontation of some European rulers and the desire to expand political influence in certain regions has led them to new ways to achieve ambitious goals. In addition to military force, they also referred to the art of diplomacy and the assistance of diplomats, who by their order often collected information about the neighboring states, which were treated both as potential allies and as opponents at the same time.The emergence of some sources written by eyewitness-diplomats and accomplices of the iconic events of the early 18th century was the result of new tactics in the foreign policy of the rulers and their secret advisers. That is why some European diplomats who were in international missions had to be in the role of a spy and an ethnographer-memoirist at the same time.In this article, we would like to focus on the materials of the diplomatic mission of the Danish diplomat Just Juel (1709–1711). Namely, we deal with the travel diary, which, in addition to the description of the journey through Eastern Europe, tells about the features of Danish diplomacy during the Great Northern War and the specifics of the international relations of the early 18th century. Particular attention is paid to Just Juel's daily life during his stay at the court of Peter the Great and trips around the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and some Ukrainian territories.Our analysis of the diary casts a new light on the social aspects of the Danish diplomatic mission (1709–1711) and its micro-level. We show how vital was the abundance of food, convenient living conditions, life safety, transportation, leisure time for the early-modern diplomats and their diplomatic activities.

If attitudes toward water do not change fundamentally, two thirds of the world's population will be affected by water poverty as early as the year 2025. Today, the by far greatest share of water consumed worldwide is used for agricultural irrigation, and population growth and increasingly water-intensive lifestyles are raising the demand for water. Measures aimed at increasing water supply (supply management) are, however, at the same time running up against growing financial and technical limits.In regional terms, water resources are distributed very unevenly, and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa are those most hard hit by water poverty. Since trade in grain is able to compensate only for a limited share of regional water deficits, it is essential to focus on increasingly the efficiency of the irrigation sector and to fully exploit the potential of rainfed farming if the world's population is to have access to sufficient food resources in the future.Even though concepts and strategies of efficient irrigation have long been available, water continues to be wasted in nearly all of the countries of the world. The reason for the problem is not a lack of suitable methods, it is the fact that these methods are not put to proper use; and the reason for this in turn is that the political stage has not yet been set and the institutional groundwork has yet to be laid. And thus groundwater reserves continue to be overexploited, wastewater is still discharged directly into rivers, and rainwater continues to run off unused, even though for decades a wealth of information has been available on the recharging of groundwater resources, water-recycling, collection of rainwater, and erosion control.In recent years international water conferences have reached important consensuses on necessary reforms, though binding decisions are still made at the national level and local levels (decentrally). The reforms urgently called for include reduction of water price subsidies, differentiated water tariffs that reflect water qualities, and promotion of more flexible forms of cooperation. Creation of appropriate land and water rights that set incentives for a sustainable use of water are also of crucial importance. Reforms of this kind are the sine qua non for the success of many technical measures at the local level.In principle, both the private and the public sector can contribute to raising the effeciency of water use. The extent to which private actors and water-users associations take sufficient account of the ecological and social aspects involved is largely a matter of what concrete forms of cooperation are found between public and private actors and whether appropriate political action frameworks are set and adhered to. Development cooperation (DC) can provide important support here, above all in the field of capacity-building.

"If attitudes toward water do not change fundamentally, two thirds of the world's population will be affected by water poverty as early as the year 2025. Today, the by far greatest share of water consumed worldwide is used for agricultural irrigation, and population growth and increasingly water-intensive lifestyles are raising the demand for water. Measures aimed at increasing water supply (supply management) are, however, at the same time running up against growing financial and technical limits. In regional terms, water resources are distributed very unevenly, and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa are those most hard hit by water poverty. Since trade in grain is able to compensate only for a limited share of regional water deficits, it is essential to focus on increasingly the efficiency of the irrigation sector and to fully exploit the potential of rainfed farming if the world's population is to have access to sufficient food
resources in the future. Even though concepts and strategies of efficient irrigation have long been available, water continues to be wasted in nearly all of the countries of the world. The reason for the problem is not a lack of suitable methods, it is the fact that these methods are not put to proper use; and the reason for this in turn is that the political stage
has not yet been set and the institutional groundwork has yet to be laid. And thus groundwater reserves continue to be overexploited, wastewater is still discharged directly into rivers, and rainwater continues to run off unused, even though for decades a wealth of information has been available on the recharging of groundwater resources, water-recycling, collection of rainwater, and erosion control. In recent years international water conferences have reached important consensuses on necessary reforms, though binding decisions are still made at the national level and local levels (decentrally). The reforms urgently called for include reduction of water price subsidies, differentiated water tariffs that reflect water qualities, and promotion of more flexible forms of cooperation. Creation of appropriate land and water rights that set incentives
for a sustainable use of water are also of crucial importance. Reforms of this kind are the sine qua non for the success of many technical measures at the local level. In principle, both the private and the public sector can contribute to raising the efficiency of water use. The extent
to which private actors and water-user associations take sufficient account of the ecological and social aspects involved is largely a matter of what concrete forms of cooperation are found between public and private actors and whether appropriate political action frameworks are set and adhered to. Development cooperation can provide important support here, above all in the field of capacity-building." (excerpt)