Forum for the Future of Aid - Harmonisation & Alignment

Harmonization and Coherence: Where meets Monterrey and Cancun continues Seattle

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:46:57 +0100

By Edward Oyugi*

Though a major plank in the Monterrey consensus, harmonization and coherence in aid policy coordination, has its origins in earlier discourses – dating back to the ministerial declarations that saw the trade negotiation process succumb to the manipulative hegemony of neo-liberalism in multilateral politics. Policy coherence is naturally more complicated than taken for granted, particularly in cases where national policies are significantly influenced at supranational level; where any deficit in negotiation capacity can play havoc with the respective economies. The key elements of the current coherence agenda include: supporting the Doha work program (liberalization in goods, facilitating the dominance of pliable political authority systems in the name of good governance, services, and investment), capital account liberalization and channeling increased investment to developing countries.

In a world where neo-liberal orthodoxy is arrogating to itself the claim of universal application - as a frame of reference- and multi-lateral/bilateral behavior -regarding the way relationships between the powerful economies of the North and the Global South have been established- grossly antagonize the subaltern development needs of poor economies, harmonization and coherence can mean a reuse of uniformity behind which lark the insidious face borderless neo-liberal capital. There is no way efficiency and effectiveness can be enhanced through increased coherence within and across aid, trade, and investment policies which feature awkwardly in the donor-recipient relationship and which end up pitting the poor economies of the Global South against the neo-liberal interests of the hegemonic North.

There is no doubt that aid conditioned upon liberalization in trade, investment, procurement and asymmetrical removal of subsidies will lack policy coherence, particularly in circumstances where the aid recipient’s economies are ill-disposed towards the hegemonic demands of neo-liberalism as a framework not only of discourse but more dangerously in the realm of policy action. We now know, with unwavering certainty, that the magic bullet of Harmonization/Coherence agenda is not so much about efficiency and effectiveness as about creating new rights and privileges for corporations at the expense of the poverty alleviation in the Global South.

If harmonization is not to become a slippery slope to cartelization it must be internal to a national or regional political economy and not across conflicting economic interests. This could be the reason why the Indian Minister of Commerce Murasoli Maran warned that "we should be careful that in the name of coherence we do not create a networking behemoth which puts pressure on developing countries through cross-conditionality."

*Edward Oyugi is the Executive Director of Social Development Network , an NGO based in Nairobi and a member of the Social Watch movement and a member of the International Council of the World Social Forum. He also teaches Psychology at Kenyatta University, in Nairobi- Kenya.

Please send your response to this opinion to coordinator@futureofaid.net or click on 'add new comment' below

Consideraciones sobre la Efectividad de la Cooperación Externa Oficial en Nicaragua e implementación de la Declaración de Par

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:53:58 +0100

Autor: Carlos Pacheco y Julia Metcalfe

El presente documento es un estudio de caso que busca abordar la situación actual y las perspectivas en cuanto a la implementación de la Declaración de París (DP) en Nicaragua. En él se recogen los aportes y opiniones, a través de entrevistas e información documental, de diversos actores vinculados al tema del desarrollo y la cooperación.
Representantes del gobierno, donantes y sociedad civil aportaron su apreciación sobre los avances y contradicciones en la aplicación de los compromisos asumidos en la DP (planes de acción, procesos de monitoreo), así como también de las dificultades en su implementación.

Para leer el documento, haga click aquí

Avances de Honduras en armonización de la Cooperación Internacional después de la Declaración de Paris.

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:52:00 +0100

Autor: Sally O’Neill

El presente documento pretende revisar las experiencias de la implementación de la Declaración de Paris en Honduras desde la perspectiva de organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC).
La investigación está basada en más de 50 entrevistas a representantes del gobierno, principales donantes bilaterales y multilaterales; ONGs internacionales con presencia en el país; y representantes de OSC hondureña. Estos actores aportaron sus experiencias y percepciones sobre la implementación de la Declaración de Paris en Honduras en términos de coordinación, armonización y alineamiento de la ayuda internacional.
La investigación arrojó que se requiere mayores esfuerzos por parte de todos los actores para lograr una mayor efectividad de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo.

Para leer el documento, haga click aquí

Turning the Tables Aid and accountability under the Paris framework

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:44 +0100

Author: Lucy Hayes and Javier Pereira

This report is the result of research in seven aid recipient countries, conducted by southern and northern civil society organisations (CSOs) and coordinated by the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad). It is focused on the progress against two principles of the Paris Declaration –ownership and accountability.
The report is based on analysis of aid effectiveness using factual data and interviews conducted in Cambodia, Honduras, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger and Sierra Leone, presenting detailed up to date insights from civil society and government representatives. Each case study brings evidence and opinions to help generate understanding and debate ahead of the official aid effectiveness processes taking place in 2008.
Finally, It provides a set of recommendations to be follow both by donors and recipient countries.

To read the full paper, click here

Scaling up: Aid Fragmentation, Aid Allocation and Aid predictability

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:28:41 +0100

Author: OECD Development Assistance Committee

As part of monitoring the delivery of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) commitments to increase Official Development Assistance (ODA), this report examines the existing patterns of aid fragmentation and concentration, showing the degree to which 33 donors are operating in 153 partner countries. It also looks into the delivery of commitments on future aid levels in total and where aid is likely to be scaled up or scaled back as well as into donors’ country allocation and budgetary procedures and practices.
It constitutes a key stimulus to improving the medium term predictability of aid, as called for in the Paris Declaration and by the UN Secretary General’s MDG Africa Steering Group. It is intended to inform discussion at major development events in 2008, especially on predictability and division of labour at the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Accra, September) and on ODA financing at the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development (Doha, November/ December).

To read the full report, click here

Road Map to Accra

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:06:56 +0000

OECD

The OECD has produced a three page document summarising the process and content of the Accra HLF III.

Click on the attachment below to read the summary

Buying power: aid, governance and procurement

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:03:44 +0000

Christian Aid

Strong rules for the contracting of goods, works and services are a cornerstone of a robust and accountable public budgeting system. It is important for donors to not only support the development of those systems but also to use them; this has been shown to be a more effective use of aid resources. Christian Aid welcomes donor commitments to improve the effectiveness of their aid in general and use recipient procurement systems in particular, but positive outcomes from these commitments are undermined by a reliance on imposing a standard procurement model that emphasises market opening over accountability to poor men and women.

Click on the attachment below to read the full report

Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:06:05 +0000

Background to the Process

Summaries of the latest related events

Challenge of the Current Aid Architecture: Addressing the Development Needs of Africa

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:19:53 +0000

Source: AFRODAD

"African countries like many other developing countries need external resources primarily to supplement their meagre domestic resources from their economies. The assistance countries receive redress the financial gap that arises from their development needs and act as catalyst and play a complimentary role in the implementation of the national development programs as well as stretegies. The articles concludes by saying that aid architecture must address political interests of both donors and recipient as well. Aid would only work with good public institutions and if policies are nationally-owned. Other important factors include the need to address weak public finance management systems, respect public systems by donors, and the development of Partnership principles are mutually agreed. Lastly engagement with non-state actors and parliaments must be meaningful if Africa is to make head way in improving aid architecture in the continent."

Click here to read the full article

National Consultative Workshop on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:16:33 +0000

Source: CSPR

A lot of issues concerning aid effectiveness were discussed by representatives from civil society, government, and the cooperating partners. This dialogue formed a crucial platform to foster coordinated efforts from the three quarters of development stakeholders to ensure that aid becomes more effective. It is also important to note that the workshop signified the recognised valuable role played by civil society in managing and accounting for the aid.

Click on the link below to read the full report

Stock taking paper on aid management

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:07:15 +0000

Source: Daima Associates

This report is one of three planned outputs of phase 1 of a 2 phase project commissioned by the Capacity Building Working Group, one of the three groups conducting the technical work under the SPA 7 programme. The project aims to improve the quality and quantity of aid in support of nationally owned capacity development approaches. Phase one of the project is the stocktake phase, which is the subject of this report and the second phase will draw from the findings and conclusions of the first phase. This report categorises aid recipient countries according to the level of aid management systems and effectiveness. Criteria that were considered when grouping countries included: aid policy documentation/clear aid strategy; aid management systems and procedures; Development Partner actions and expected requirements; aid harmonisation and alignment to country systems; the capacity in aid management; and capacity constraints identified and documented. The grouping exercise resulted in four categories. Group one included coutries that were rated highlu such as Botswana, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda and Vietnam; Group two included coutnries that are doing fairl well but could still do better such as Burkino Fas, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia and Mozambique; group three included countries trying to improve but in fragile situations, thus with still many capacity gaps such as Cameroon; and group four included countries with critical situations largely due to recent internal conflict such as Burundi, Sierra Leone and Haiti. The report also considers to what extent the Paris Declaration has been implemented, if, and to what extent coutnries have developed explicit aid policies, how effective are aid management systems and procedures, emerging lessons in aid management with implicaitons for capacity development, expectations from the Development Partners, Development partner support to Capacity development, best practices. Finally the report provides a comparison of Capacity Development for Aid management.

Click on the link below to read the full report

‘Mediating’ the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:13:20 +0000

By Fackson Banda, SAB-UNESCO Chair of Media and Democracy, Rhodes University, South Africa

The role of the media in public finance management in aid-dependent countries is increasingly becoming an agenda item during meetings about development assistance. A recent workshop called by the OECD Global Forum on Development brought the issue into sharp relief. At the core of the discussion was the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, adopted in 2005.

The OECD meeting did not discuss the media as a central theme. And yet the workshop theme of ‘ownership in practice’ suggests strong citizen engagement in the development process. Perhaps, the ‘silence’ on mediation typical of most official documents accounts for the uncertainty usually exhibited about the place of the media in the matrix of development financing.

Indeed, the Paris Declaration does not acknowledge the role of the media. But it spells out many commitments which only active media engagement can help actualise. For example, it urges aid-reliant countries to elaborate ‘national development strategies through broad consultative processes’. It reiterates this by enjoining upon such nations to ‘encourage broad participation of a range of actors…’ It urges both donor and partner countries to curb ‘corruption and lack of transparency, which erode public support’.

These commitments are central to media engagement in creating a dialogic environment in which civil society can hold national leadership accountable for the utilisation of development assistance. And yet the declaration only assumes this. Its emphasis on broad consultative processes is much more than one-to-one consultation. It implies civic engagement on a large scale. While foregrounding the ends of consultation, ownership and participation, the declaration omits the means through which such processes can be realised broadly.

It is important, therefore, that any exposition of the Paris Declaration explicitly analyses the role of mediation in strengthening citizen participation in development financing.

Please send your response to this opinion to coordinator@futureofaid.net or click on 'add new comment' below

Impossible Architecture: Why the financial structure is not working for the poor and how to redesign it

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:34:07 +0000

Author: Social Watch Report 2006

The Social Watch report is published yearly since 1996 and is unique amongst reports focussing on social development and gender equality in its “bottom up” approach. This is not a commissioned report published from a centralised international organisation, but a compilation of the findings of civil society organisations working on social issues, on how their authorities are implementing the programs that they have committed themselves to in international fora like the Social Summit, the Beijing Conference on Women and the Millennium Summit.

Those findings by citizen groups are complemented with statistics and innovative indexes developed by Social Watch researchers, such as the Basic Capabilities Index and the Gender Equity Index.

The main theme of this year’s Social Watch report is the international financial architecture and how it needs to be reformed in order to create an enabling environment for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals

Click here to view the full report

Reforming the international aid system: user perspective, Yaounde, June 2006

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:00:09 +0100

Workshop organised by the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, Yaounde, Cameroon, June 2006

Agenda
Participants
Background paper
Resources list
Workshop report

Presentations
Setting the context
The World Bank and Regional Development Banks
The UN Development System from a user perspective
The European Union (EDF and Budget instruments)
Paris Declaration and arrangements for aid at country level

Which way the future of aid? London, November 2005

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 18:10:45 +0100

Workshop: ODI, London, 14-15 November 2005 (Wednesday 16 November for Southern Participants only)

Participants

Scoping Paper
The purpose of this Scoping Paper is to serve as the basis for discussion at the Workshop that ODI is organising in mid-November with its collaborators from Africa, Asia and Latin America as part of its project on 'Southern Voices for Change in the International Aid Architecture'. The paper aims to provide an analysis of the forces shaping the structure and operations of the international aid system. Download the Scoping Paper (PDF)

Comments on the Scoping Paper

Proposed objectives of the workshop (for consultation)
• To promote informal discussions, learning and sharing of experiences among the participating Southern civil society organisation (CSO) representatives, Northern CSO representatives and donors, building especially on the experiences of Southern CSOs in engaging with the international aid system and on their interests and concerns about the future of aid.
• To come to a better understanding of existing Southern CSO inputs and/or responses to the ongoing debate on how to reform the international aid system.
• To identify areas of work where further Southern engagement with these issues would be desirable.
• To identify priority areas for research and next steps, asking in particular how Southern CSOs envision the Southern Voices project evolving and what kind of support they may need to continue and/or expand their engagement with issues related to the future of the international aid system.

Session notes
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 6

Speaker Presentations
Moreblessings Chidaushe, AFRODAD, Zimbabwe Presentation notes
Alina Rocha Menocal, ODI, UK Presentation
Bill Morton, North-South Institute, Canada - Paper
Priyanthi Fernando, CEPA, Sri Lanka Presentation
Gaspard Ahobamuteze, Independent Consultant, Rwanda
Presentation
Rosalind Eyben, IDS, UK http://www.odi.org.uk/PPPG/cape/events/2005_future_aid_workshop/An_intl_aid_agreement.ppt>Presentation