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Aid Effectiveness Network news

Newsletter - June 2006

Highlights

• OECD Review of UK Development Programme Published
• Joint Assistance Strategy Paper for Uganda (UJAS) now published
• Aid Effectiveness - Your chance to Shape the Long-term Research Agenda

Aid Relationships

Aid Harmonisation & Alignment

• The OECD Development Assistance Committee's review of the UK's Development Programme and Policies was recently published. The report describes the UK's development co-operation as at an 'historic high point of political and public support'. It praises our focus on poverty, welcomes the efforts we've made to develop a coherent cross-Government approach to development, highlights the clarity of focus given by the International Development Act and describes DFID staff as 'high calibre and highly committed'. The report also identifies a number of challenges, including managing a growing aid budget effectively with constrained staff numbers, increasing our engagement in fragile states, furthering efforts on key cross-Government issues and demonstrating impact on the ground. The summary of the report is available on OECD's website. Mark Lowcock will present the findings of the review and answer any question on Thursday 15 June 2006 at 2.30pm in PS 3W11 with VC link to AH 280. Please contact Vivienne Paterson to reserve a place.
• The Joint Assistance Strategy for Uganda (UJAS)(481 kb) has recently been published. The UJAS document represents a significant step forward for harmonisation and the overall aid effectiveness agenda in Uganda. The strategy provides a framework for DFID’s programme in Uganda and, more widely, for donor co-operation over the medium term. The joint strategy does not remove the UJAS partners’ independence in decision making, but it does ensure they consult more systematically on key decisions and work more effectively together in pursuit of the Rome and Paris objectives and in support of PEAP implementation. It also provides greater clarity about expectations in the relationship between development partners and the government. For more details, contact Charlotte Pierre.

Development Finance/ Aid Instruments

• ODI and Action Aid held a seminar, 'Making Technical Assistance Work' in London on 11 May. The seminar was held to discuss how to effectively use technical assistance in developing countries. Approximately 50 participants attended the meeting, including DFID, UNDP, academics, consultants and NGOs. Mark Lowcock made a presentation as well as Seema Ghani, former DG, Budget in the Afghan Finance Ministry, Tim Cammack of the University of Birmingham and Val Imber of Oxford Policy Management. In summary the following main issues were identified; Technical assistance should be a capacity building tool; Consultants should have country experience with sensitivity and knowledge of local culture, politics and environment. On the donor side, procurement processes should be more robust, terms of reference should be clear and detailed. For more details please contact Tessa MacArthur.
• The Evaluation of DFID Technical Cooperation Personnel for Economic Management in Africa by Oxford Policy Management will be published later this month. Please contact Tessa Macarthur for more details.
• The UK confirmed that it will pledge $30 million to Investment Climate Facility (ICF), which is a private-public partnership, to help Africa create a more attractive business environment and to realise its potential as a global player. Last year the Commission for Africa and leaders at the G8 Gleneagles Summit acknowledged that Africa needed the right investment climate to allow it to lift itself out of poverty, meet the MDG's and reduce aid dependency. For further information on the ICF for Africa please visit the ICF's website .

Other Aid Effectiveness Information

• We all have burning issues on aid effectiveness that we are grappling with in our everyday work, but what can we do now to help inform our policies in the next few years? Central Research Department (CRD) are scoping out the possibility of launching a new programme on Aid Effectiveness. In the context of rising budgets, changing aid modalities and international aid architecture, issues of absorption, structural change, impact assessment and governance have all been raised as potential issues for further research. Do you have ideas about who we should talk to? Research questions that need to be asked? New methodologies or mixed methods that could be used? We are particularly interested in the demand for relevant research from policy makers in developing countries. CRD is beginning the scoping process now and is interested in speaking to a broad range of stakeholders in the North and South, in academic, policy and advocacy circles. if you would like to add to the debate, please contact Catherine Porter for further details.
• The new DFID China Country Assistance Plan (CAP)(425 kb) was launched in Beijing on 18 May. The new CAP sets out DFID's plans for work on selected MDGs and on engagement with China on a range of international development issues. The event allowed DFID to bring together key partners who are all dedicated to supporting China's development. Many of those who attended the event had contributed during the process of preparing the CAP.

DFID’s Policy Division Restructuring Update.

• The CLEAR Team welcomes Kate Tench, Economics Advisor, to the Country Led Approaches & Results Team, Kate joined the team from Evaluation Department on 05 June.

Upcoming Events

• DFID (led by DFID South East Asia) are jointly organising an Asia Regional Forum on Aid Effectiveness with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank, in co-ordination with the OECD-DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. The three day event will take place in Manilla, at the ADB's headquarters from 18-20 October 2006. Two days will be spent in working level discussions with the final day bringing senior officials together for high level discussions. Opportunities include independent analysis of the aid effectiveness initiatives, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks, the chance to feed into the regional debate and bring country experience to the attention of donor HQ's, and to help other Asian countries. Asian country offices can get involved by opening the discussion with other donors about approaching government and securing participation, recommending and encouraging influential invitees and facilitation of case studies. For more information, please contact Debbie Warrener. A website will be available shortly.
• The EUD funded research programme: European Community's Poverty Reduction Effectiveness Programme, is now in it's dissemination phase and is holding a series of London Seminars. The seminars are running from May to July, the second in the series 'The role of the EU in supporting the Agricultural Sector' is taking place on Friday 30th June from 12.30-2pm. Contact Anna Morris for more details.
• ODI are running a series of seminars on What’s next in International Development following 2005. This series will be continuing into the summer. Details of meetings including one on the issue of UN reform, will be posted when they have been confirmed. ODI are also running a series of seminars on (Re)building Developmental States: From Theory to Practice, forthcoming meetings include: 'Political Parties & Developmental States', Wed 21 June from 5.00 - 6.30 pm at ODI.

Recent Events

• A seminar on 'DFID Country Programmes Evaluation (CPE): Bangladesh Study'(1 mb) was held on 18 May in Palace Street. This is the latest in Evaluation Department's rolling programme of CPE's. The consultants (ITAD Ltd), who carried out the independent study presented and discussed their findings. Contact Lynn Quinn for more details.

The co-ordination of the Aid Effectiveness network, including the AE newsletter, is now being undertaken by the Country Led Approaches and Results (CLEAR) team, based in Abercrombie House. Catherine McGowan and Nicola Cairns are the new contacts. To keep abreast of the latest in aid effectiveness, please e-mail Catherine or Nicola who will add your name to the mailing list. Please also let us know of any news you have which relates to Aid Effectiveness. We will be glad to publicise anything you are doing.