Conference “Time Zones”

The right duration, the right point in time

The question when it was the right point in time to act was discussed above all from three perspectives:

• The right point in time as problem of measurement: “The problem in development cooperation is that you only always know the right point in time, when it has passed”, as Dieter Biallas pointedly says (IT).
  
  
• The spare resources of development cooperation demand flexible instruments, so that in projects that area formulated for the long run you can still make use of suddenly arising windows of opportunities. It was also important to “actively wait”, i.e. “To be prepared for an emergency and to create a dynamic purely through one’s presence” (Stefan Helming, GTZ).
  
  
• A characteristic of the right moment is the readiness of the population for change, even with the hardships and sacrifices that come along with it. Without “a mood for change” development cooperation can not work effectively and will achieve little.

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