Over 1,200 representatives of Government and aid receiving countries, donor institutions, foundations, parliamentarians, and civil society organizations are attending the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra today. The three day conference which is organized jointly by the Government of Ghana and the World Bank is to access and improve upon the quality and impact of development assistance to needy countries. Benjamin Appiah Acquaye Reports for VNN………………
Each year, donors worldwide – countries, international agencies and specialized funds- provide nearly 120 billion US Dollars in development and humanitarian aid to developing contribution adding a further 20 – 25 billion US Dollars. Donors, government, and citizens of donor and recipient countries alike expect this assistance to be used effectively as possible. In 2005, when the international community last met in the High Level Forum on this issue, over 100 countries and agencies endorsed the Paris Declaration, committing to carry out specific actions to improve the effectiveness with which donors provide, and countries use, development funds. For example, countries agreed to put in place realistic strategies for development to improve the reliability of their financial management system; and donor agreed to provide promised aid in a timely way and carry out more assessments and on-site visit jointly with other donors to reduce the administrative burden on developing countries. Most notable, the Paris Declaration contained a framework for monitoring progress on these commitments. Including some targets for 2010.
The purpose of the meeting in Accra is for the development community to review and hold itself accountable for progress on the Paris commitments. The monitoring process has revealed areas of substantial progress, and some in which further progress is urgently needed.
Evidence shows that development strategies have been improved since the endorsement of the Paris Declaration: developing countries taking ownership of their policies and programs, exercising leadership and involving civil society and the private sector; and donors are providing support for capacity development and institutional building. In common approaches, minimize transactions cost by improving the division of labor, improve the monitoring and evaluation of results, and strengthen their accountability for aid impact – to each other, and to their constituencies.
During the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, governments, donor, and civil society representatives will examine the result achieved so far, discuss obstacles to implementation, exchange experiences, and identify ways to make greater progress on Aid Effectiveness.
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