BetterAid.Org

Key Issues: Accra, Seoul and beyond...

The BetterAid platform has recently revised a paper proposing a set of issues to be prioritised, addressed and elaborated upon in new commitments by all development partners in the preparations for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness 2011 and the 2010 United Nations Development Cooperation Forum.

Download the pdf version of the paper:

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A  report by Intermon Oxfam, Spain

Intermon Oxfam has produced a report looking at Spanish aid:  ‘The Reality of Aid 2009: An independent evaluation of development politics and aid in a time of crisis.’ (La Realidad de Ayuda: Una evaluación independiente de la ayuda y las políticas de desarrollo en tiempos de crisis’)

In 2008, Spanish development aid once again reached record levels, yet for the second consecutive year it failed to adhere to Spain’s commitment to 0.5% of GNI (Gross National Income). It is necessary now more than ever to respect the historic commitment to 0.7% of GNI which all Europe states must adhere to by 2015. The crisis has shown us that where there are public safety nets, with access to free education or school dinners, the most severe impacts are less serious. But most poor countries lack the resources to offer these services, which reinforces the case for the role of development assistance and the actions of NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations). When ODA (Official Development Assistance) is weak, the problems multiply. After years of strong growth, there is an even more pressing need for reforms to make our system more efficient and to get the most out of every dollar that the Spanish spend on aid.

Eurodad has published a report that looks into procurement, tied aid and the use of country systems in Namibia. Public procurement ─ goods and services purchased or works contracted by the government ─ accounts for a substantial share of GDP in developing countries, and a considerable share is financed through Official Development Assistance (ODA).

A recent evaluation by the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank, “Analysing the effects of policy reform on the poor,” finds that the Bank systematically fails to assess the impact of its own advice on poor people. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the World Bank Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) reveals that PSIAs, despite a few successes stories, have in general had a “moderate effect on country policies and Bank operations and a negligible effect on country analytic capacity.” In other words, the systems put in place by the World Bank to assess the impact of its suggested policy reforms before they are recommended to developing countries are either not being used at all, or the resulting advice is not implemented.