Alliance2015 Contributing to the Current Aid Effectiveness Debate

The coming weeks and months will be crucial in determining the outcome of the High Level Review of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, which will take place in Accra, Ghana, in September 2008.

The Paris Declaration appears to strengthen the upward accountability (i.e. accountability from recipient country governments towards donors) and the policy dialogue between donors and governments. This takes place at some cost to domestic accountability and genuinely democratic and country-owned policy dialogue on development strategies. Mutual accountability should expand and underline downwards accountability, (i.e. accountability of the recipient country governments towards civil society in their countries), setting the agenda for development and monitoring aid practises.

Despite commitments in the Paris Declaration, the report finds that weaknesses of both democratic ownership and domestic accountability mechanisms undermine efforts to improve aid effectiveness and reduce poverty. The report recommends expanding and deepening ownership to include civil society and parliaments. Both must be involved in developing poverty reduction strategies and sector policy strategies, implementation of aid and monitoring and holding donors and recipient governments to account.

The four country studies that this report is based on were carried out in Mozambique, Ghana, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Please find a low-resolution file of the report, a page of recommendations and the four country-studies via the links below. You can order printed version of the report (only the synthesis report) from any of the six Alliance members listed in the Contacts section.