Direct Budget Support and the implications for civil society organisations
ActionAid International (AAI) and CARE have recently come together to understand how trends in official aid are affecting civil society – particularly local NGOs in the countries where AAI and CARE work, but also international NGOs. Direct Budget Support (DBS) is a trend that could have significant implications for funding to civil society organisations and for the space in which these organisations can engage with donor agencies and governments.
Collaborative research into the impact of budget support in CSOs is currently being undertaken by joint AAI and CARE research teams in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Sierra Leone. Individual country reports will be published in May 2006, and a synthesis report in June.
The research will focus on DFID (as well as 2-3 other `like-minded’ donors in each country, taking account of the multi-donor nature of DBS), as DFID is playing a key role in promoting certain aid delivery mechanisms, including DBS.
How to contact the project:
ActionAid International and CARE would like to hear from anyone who is interested in the impact of Budget Support on local and international NGOs or would like to know more about our research. Contact:
Melissa Hall at ActionAid International (Melissa.Hall@actionaid.org)
Zaza Curran at CARE UK (curran@careinternational.org).