Big Cities, Small Means (European Funding for Environment and Urban Development) is an Orientation Guide for Southern NGOs. It offers a wealth of information on the various financing tools provided by institutions for development co-operation in Europe.

The guide aims to give an overview of development co-operation in twelve European countries and the larger entity known as the European Union. It serves as an introduction to development policies for those wishing to become acquainted with the European situation, but will also be informative to those already somewhat familiar with the issues.

The Introduction looks at the international donor market and gives an overview of current developments. It looks at funding sources for the environment, in particular in relation to urban development. Prospects for financial means after the HABITAT II conference is also touched upon. Before going into the specific policies of each country, an analysis is given of general trends and developments of European funding for Southern NGOs.

Each country section starts off with a description of the country’s official development policy and the agencies responsible for administering bilateral and multilateral aid. The second paragraph of each section refers to the specific area addressed in this publication: it assesses the extent to which environment and urban issues are integrated in the country’s development co-operation policies. In some cases, environment and urban development are priorities, in others they are not. This is followed by a list of the country’s main recipients of aid and the finances that are available for development co-operation. These are mostly given in US dollars and not in local currencies (the exchange rate of January 1997 is used). The main source of reference for the statistics have been DAC/OECD’s publications. With the new system of GNP budget calculations, the ODA percentages are lower than before.

An overview of funding for NGOs in developing countries is given next, starting with financial support through Embassies where relevant. In all countries, government support to local NGOs is provided through a specialised aid agency or department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This support is mostly channelled through national NGOs via special grant facilities or budgetlines for activities in developing countries. These NGOs directly support development activities either through their own programmes or through the (co-)financing of projects initiated by NGOs in developing countries.

In addition, a description is given of organisations which are involved in development co-operation and provide financial support. Many of these operate under government schemes but also derive income from private sources, such as churches, political foundations etc.

There are case studies throughout the booklet which give real-life examples of the search for finances for environment and urban development projects in different parts of the world. A comprehensive address list of all agencies and organisations mentioned in the guide is to be found at the end.

For a more comprehensive look at the NGO community for each country, a key organisation is mentioned from which Southern NGOs can obtain further information. The reader is also referred to a number of funding directories which, in many cases, are compiled by national umbrella organisations or networks of environment and development organisations.

NGOs interested in knowing more about the donors and funding agencies mentioned are advised to make further enquiries directly and determine funding possibilities in the light of their financing requirements. Most donors also have specific project application guidelines and procedures.