African Community of Practice Managing for Development Results October 2008
ONLINE
A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results
In this issue: Update Report on the Third High Level Forum on Aid E f fectiveness
Up-com ing Events
This ONLINE is a monthly newsletter that provides a forum for members of the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results (AfCoPMfDR) and other interested parties to share experiences, discuss issues, and post upcoming events. ONLINE is available in English and French on the African CoP website, www.cop-mfdr-africa.org.
Update The past few months have been busy with AfCoP activities and planning for the up-coming Second Annual meeting of the AfCoP.
Join Us
Contact Us
The publicity team of the Core Management Team (CMT) worked over the summer months to prepare and approve text for a poster that was featured at the High Level Form on Aid Effectiveness (HLF3) in Ghana, September 2 to 4. This team also helped prepare a brochure in French and English to increase awareness of the AfCoP among participants at the HLF3. Thank you to those CMT members who put in last minute time to ensure these documents would communicate well the work of the AfCoP. The Networking Team has been helping guide the development of the program for the Second Annual Meeting. Currently, over twenty five members are registered to participate in this event and we anticipate close to thirty members will be present. We are grateful to our Interim Bilingual Co-Chair, Dev Ruhee, for all his efforts in preparing a special MfDR welcome to his country.
Report on the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness: Accra, Ghana – September 2 – 4, 2008 I. INTRODUCTION The 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Accra, Ghana, from September 2-4, 2008 was a great and successful event. Some 1700 representatives of Governments, including 42 countries of the African continent, the World Bank and other donor institutions and civil society organizations were present at the Opening Session on September 02. The Forum was hosted by the Government of Ghana and organized by OECD and the World Bank. The African CoP-MfDR was represented by Dev Ruhee of Mauritius, Interim CoChair of the CMT, and Solomon Mhlanga of Zimbabwe, Member of the CMT.
October 2008, Issue No6
CoP Library
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
The Forum was a follow up firstly, to the First High-Level Forum on Harmonization that was held in Rome in 2003. At that Forum, donors and partner countries came up with the Rome Declaration on Harmonization in which they committed themselves to take action to improve the management and effectiveness of aid. The Rome Declaration set out the following ambitious programme of activities: •
To ensure that harmonization efforts are adapted to the country context and that donor assistance is aligned with the development priorities of recipients;
•
To expand country-led efforts to streamline donor procedures and practices;
•
To review and identify ways to adapt institutions’ and countries’ policies, procedures and practices to facilitate harmonization;
•
To implement the good practices, principles and standards formulated by the development community as the foundation for harmonization.
In 2005, the international community came together again at the Paris High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, where they endorsed the Paris Declaration. In signing the Paris Declaration, they committed themselves to specific actions that would promote the effective use of aid funds namely: Ownership; Alignment; Harmonization; Managing for Development Results and Mutual Accountability. This then culminated in the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, that built on the legacy of these two previous forums. The representatives of donors and partner countries met to take stock of progress in implementing the Paris Declaration and to plan continued and intensified efforts of accelerating achievement of the MDGs and other development outcomes of poor countries. Since 2005 evidence shows that progress was being made but this was not enough. A recent evaluation shows that the Paris Declaration had created powerful momentum to change the way developing countries and donors work together on the ground. According to the 2008 Monitoring Survey, a large number of developing countries have improved their management of public funds. Donors in turn, are increasingly improving their co-ordination at country level. Yet the pace of progress is too slow. Without further reform and faster action it will not be possible to meet the 2010 commitments and targets of improving the quality of aid. The main objective of the Third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness therefore was to: i)
Review progress in improving aid effectiveness;
ii) Broaden dialogue to newer actors; and, iii) Chart a course for continuing international action on aid effectiveness. Ms. Mary Chinery-Hesse, Chief Adviser to the President of Ghana, who welcomed participants at the Opening session, noted in her address that, while there had been progress on aid effectiveness in Africa and beyond, the pace has been slow. She challenged the developed countries to address the issue boldly and with candor.
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
Jan Cedergren, Chair of the OECD-DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, who also intervened at the Opening Session, outlined progress on the aid effectiveness agenda. He noted that good progress had been made in making public financial systems more reliable but there had been less progress in such areas as using country systems, developing coordinated mechanisms for aid delivery and using program-based approaches. He added that more had to be done. In that context, the OECD has underlined in its Information Sheet on MfDR the important role that regional MfDR CoPs could play in actively supporting the implementation of MfDR in partner countries. The OECD noted that CoPs, with their broad stakeholder basis, can serve as “hubs” for regional learning and thus become a powerful support for national MfDR-based systems. H.E. Mr. Kufuor, President of Ghana, inaugurated the Opening session of the Ministerial Meeting on September 04.
2. ROUNDTABLE TOPICS AT THE ACCRA THIRD HIGH LEVEL FORUM Nine half day Roundtables, running simultaneously, and using working papers that were prepared by international working groups, provided participants at the Forum with an opportunity for in-depth discussions. The roundtables were based on the themes of the Paris Declaration and other cross cutting issues as follows: •
Roundtable 1: Country Ownership – Partner countries to exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies, co-ordinate development actions and tackle corruption. Target for 2010: At least 75% of partner countries to have operational development strategies.
•
Roundtable 2: Alignment – Donors to base their overall support on partner countries’ national development strategies, institutions, systems and procedures; (untying aid and aid predictability). Targets for 2010: o
Public Financial Management - Half of partner countries to move up at least one measure (i.e. 0.5 points) on the PFM/CPIA (Country Policy and Institutional Assessment) scale of performance.
o
Procurement - One-third of partner countries to move up at least one measure (i.e. from D to C, C to B or B to A) on the four-point scale used to assess performance for this indicator.
o
Halve the gap – halve the proportion of aid flows to government not reported on government’s budget(s).
o
50% of technical co-operation flows - are to be implemented through coordinated programs consistent with national development strategies.
o
Reduce by two-thirds - the stock of parallel project implementation units (PIUs).
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
o
Halve the gap - halve the proportion of aid not disbursed within the fiscal year for which it was scheduled.
•
Roundtable 3: Harmonization – Donors’ actions to be more coordinated and harmonized, transparent, simplified and collectively effective (rationalizing aid delivery, complementarities and division of labour). Targets for 2010:
•
o
66% of aid flows to be provided in the context of program-based approaches;
o
40% of donor missions to the field to be joint;
o
66% of country analytic work to be joint.
Roundtable 4: Managing for Development Results and Impact.
Managing resources and
improving decision-making for producing and measuring results. Target for 2010: Reduce the gap by one-third – Reduce the proportion of countries without transparent and monitorable performance assessment frameworks by one-third. •
Roundtable 5: Mutual Accountability – Donors and partners to be accountable for development results. Target for 2010: All partner countries to have mutual assessment reviews in place.
•
Roundtable 6: The role of civil society organizations in advancing aid effectiveness.
•
Roundtable 7: Aid effectiveness in fragile states and those in situations of conflict.
•
Roundtable 8: Sectoral application of the Paris Declaration: health, education, environment, agriculture and infrastructure.
•
Roundtable 9: Implications of the new aid architecture for aid effectiveness: South-South partners, vertical funds.
3. HIGHLIGHTS OF ROUNDTABLE 4: MANAGING FOR DEVELOPMENT RESULTS (MfDR) The roundtable on MfDR convened over 200 participants from a broad range of stakeholders. The roundtable agreed that MfDR is about public sector management. It also agreed that it was about supporting political decision-making based on evidence. It was however noted with concern that, within the Paris Declaration arena, the implementation of MfDR was unfortunately lagging behind.
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
Results require a Country System The overall sentiment from participants was that MfDR requires high-level political support over time. Tools were now developed and partially in place awaiting action. We are now in the implementation stage of MfDR. MfDR needs to be seen as a country system. Since it is political, it is overridingly country specific. Notwithstanding international agreements, it can only be successfully applied at national level using national systems. It is about development not about aid. Aid could continue to be a catalyst provided it is aligned and harmonized. Results require Leadership The roundtable noted that MfDR requires strong leadership. It is inclusive and it requires the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders beyond governments, such as parliamentarians and civil society. MfDR is an opportunity not without risks. Although it sounds positive, it is a mixed bag implying taking risks and openly being held accountable. Results require Capacity The roundtable noted that MfDR needs champions and not just enthusiasts to install and institutionalize national skills and capacities. There was need to apply incentives overtime. Strong peer-to-peer learning mechanisms amongst partner countries such as Regional Communities of Practice in Managing for Development Results and networking through initiatives like South-South cooperation was very critical. Partner countries should therefore be willing to invest in learning. Donors should also be prepared to commit long term funding.
4. THE MARKET PLACE OF IDEAS Running concurrently and along with the roundtable discussions and the Ministerial-Level meetings, the ‘Marketplace of Ideas’ was one of the main events at the Third High-Level Forum. The Marketplace of Ideas facilitated the dissemination of successful methodologies for aid effectiveness. Participants highlighted best practice cases on 1m x 2m posters, which were displayed in the Accra International Conference Centre foyer for the entirety of the Forum. The various cases demonstrated practical applications of the five key themes of the Paris Declaration i.e. Ownership, Alignment, Harmonization, Managing for Development Results and Mutual Accountability. Countries were afforded an opportunity to conduct 15 minute presentations of their cases, and a Marketplace Guidebook will be printed to document each poster. The Marketplace provided a practical forum for showcasing innovative best practices and lessons learnt in aid effectiveness. It introduced an innovative approach to information sharing and cross fertilization of knowledge. The African Community of Practice (AfCOP) in Managing for Development Results showcased a poster promoting the AfCOP to participants of the conference. Similar posters for the Asian Community of
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
Practice as well as the Latin America Community of Practice were also on display. The posters were well received and attracted commendable attention and interest from participants. AfCoP Sign up sheets (in both English and French) were distributed to participants and visitors. African CoP representatives have established contacts with the African country representatives present with a view to broadening the membership of Country CoPs. They also met the Director of the Economic Division of the African Union who delivered the message of the President of the African Union on September 04. He expressed great interest in the activities of AfCoP and promised to support our cause.
5. ACCRA AGENDA FOR ACTION (AAA) In an unprecedented alliance of development partners – developing and donor countries, emerging economies, the UN and multilateral institutions, global funds and civil society organizations – all participated in the discussions leading up to the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. After three days of intense negotiations in Accra, partner countries and donors agreed to take bold steps to reform the way aid is given and spent. The Ministers and Heads of Country Delegations present endorsed a very important 32-point Statement entitled Accra Agenda for Action in order to accelerate and deepen implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Developing countries committed themselves to taking control of their own futures, donors to coordinating better amongst themselves, and both parties to the Agenda pledged to account to each other and their citizens. Key points agreed in the Accra Agenda for Action Statement include: o
Predictability – donors will provide 3-5 year forward information on their planned aid to partner countries.
o
Country systems – partner country systems will be used to deliver aid as the first option, rather than donor systems.
o
Conditionality – donors will switch from reliance on prescriptive conditions about how and when aid money is spent to conditions based on the developing country’s own development objectives.
o
Untying – donors will relax restrictions that prevent developing countries from buying the goods and services they need from whomever and wherever they can get the best quality at the lowest price.
6. OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS: MfDR IN THE CONTEXT OF THE THIRD HIGH LEVEL FORUM Managing for Development Results means focusing on concrete impacts at all phases of the national development process. The MfDR approach has emerged as a centerpiece of global efforts to improve the effectiveness of public management, achieve the Millennium Development Goals and other national development outcomes, and is widely seen as representing best practice in this field.
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
The MfDR approach embodies generally accepted tenets of good governance – setting objectives, evidence-based decision making, transparency and continuous adaptation and improvement. MfDR centers on gearing all human, financial, technological, and natural resources – domestic and external – to achieve desired developmental results. MfDR implies that goals are clear, measurable, limited in number and concrete, with time bound targets. MfDR is more than a methodology: it is a way of thinking and acting, built on a practical toolbox for improved public management; hence calls for a mind set change. Firm leadership and political will, over a prolonged period of time, over and above capacity development, are very essential ingredients in pursuit of MfDR In the international arena, numerous initiatives have underpinned the push for results. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are probably the best known and most ambitious global commitment to results-based poverty reduction. The agreed MDGs, targets and indicators provide a basis for measuring progress, as well as the effectiveness of aid. There is growing agreement that MfDR should form the basis of country-owned systems that donors and partners are jointly committed to support. MfDR is central to the entire aid effectiveness agenda. MfDR reaches far beyond aid management. It addresses the entire development process in partner countries and guides the allocation of all development resources in the most effective way. It is imperative therefore that the African Community of Practice keeps abreast of the ever evolving trends, developments and initiatives in this important field of aid effectiveness and public management, in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and underdevelopment. The immense benefits to be reaped, in terms of lessons learnt, challenges to overcome and the resultant development that takes place thereafter, as a result of active interaction with the rest of the global community, far outstrip the perceived enormous input costs. The last Millennium Development Goal, to ‘Develop a global partnership for development’, recognizes that the effectiveness of aid programs, and whether their benefits can be shared among all peoples, depend on how we work together in the global village. Finally, it is pertinent to note that at the heart of the commitment ‘to increase aid effectiveness’ is the conviction that ‘donors do not develop developing countries – but that developing countries must develop themselves’. Report by Solomon Mhlanga Core Management Team Member, AfCOP 07/09/2008
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
Update from the Decentralization and Membership Team Planned Activities for 2008: 1. Doubling of membership through personal invitations 2. Launching of Country based CoPs Update: a) We have encouraged already signed-up members to recruit more members from their workplaces and whenever they have an opportunity to do so. b) We managed to place invitations on listservs we have access to, for example the International Programme for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) listserv. c) Membership has increased from about 40 original members to over 300 members. Members are from both Africa and outside the continent. d) There has been communication that country CoPs have been initiated in countries like Zimbabwe and Niger; Kenya has expressed interest in starting a country CoP. Challenges: a) However most of the membership is from Anglophone Africa rather than from Francophone Africa. Therefore more work will have to be done to encourage more Francophone members to join. b) We require specific materials e.g. brochures to send to potential members for information rather than always referring them to the website. c) There is a requirement to facilitate more face to face meetings within Africa to allow recruitment of new members rather than virtual communities, especially in Africa where access to internet is poor in most countries. d) More advocacy on MfDR in Africa is necessary so that potential recruits have the basic concepts on what they are being recruited to.
Up-coming Events Second Annual Meeting of the AfCoP The Second Annual Meeting of the AfCoP will be held in Mauritius, October 27 to 30. Active AfCoP members will be invited to participate in two days of MfDR 101 training followed by two days of business day meetings. A work plan will be developed for 2009 – 2010 and a renewed Core Management Team will be formed. If you know of any up-coming MfDR events and would like to have them included in this listing, please contact us at info_afcop@worldbank.org.
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG
Online: A newsletter about the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results October 2008, Issue No. 6
African CoP Library We are continuing to collect resources that will be posted on the African CoP website. If your department, organization, or colleagues have recently written anything that you would like to share with your fellow CoP members, please contact us at info_afcop@worldbank.org.
Join Us If you are interested in becoming a member of the African Community of Practice, please visit our website, www.cop-mfdr-africa.org and submit a request to join. For more information, please contact us at info_afcop@worldbank.org.
Contact Us If you have any questions, comments or suggestions in regards to either this newsletter or the Africa CoP, please feel free to contact us at info_afcop@worldbank.org or any team leader within the Core Management Team (CMT): • • • • •
Networking, Recognition, and Sustainability -- Abdou Karim Lo, Senegal: loabdoukarim@yahoo.fr Decentralization and Membership -- Zaam Ssali, Uganda: zaam.ssali@gmail.com or zssali@yahoo.com Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning, and Publicity -- Ali Doungou Boubacar, Niger: doungouali@yahoo.fr Capacity Building -- Solomon Mhlanga, Zimbabwe: mhlangasolomon@yahoo.com Monitoring and Evaluation -- Claude Kakule, Congo: claudeK@unops.org or claudekakule@yahoo.com
WWW .COP-MFDR-AFRICA.ORG