Number 13, December 2011
briefing paper
World Bank
Making Development Assistance
Work Better
by Faustine Wabwire
Key Points
• The principles of the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action need
to be reaffirmed. Experience shows that these principles are relevant to
development. Considerable progress has been made toward putting them
into practice, and their fuller implementation will contribute to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals.
• Development—and development cooperation—needs to promote inclusive,
accountable partnerships that support country-led processes.
• Monitoring and reporting on development goals should rely on stronger,
more widely-used country frameworks.
• Donors need to follow through on their commitments to change their
policies and practices. For many, this will involve making their aid agency
structures more efficient.
• U.S. leadership has already spurred considerable progress on aid
effectiveness—this should be used to leverage support among international
partners and to strengthen multilateral capabilities.
Faustine Wabwire is foreign assistance policy analyst for Bread for the World Institute.
Bread for the World Institute provides policy
analysis on hunger and strategies to end it.
The Institute educates its network, opinion
leaders, policy makers and the public about
hunger in the United States and abroad.
www.bread.org
Abstract
In 2005, through the Paris Declaration
on Aid Effectiveness, the international community accepted ambitious commitments
to improve the impact of development assistance. Today, important questions emerge:
to what extent have these commitments
been implemented? Is aid being delivered in
a more effective way?
In 2008, the Accra Agenda for Action
called for greater focus on country ownership, accountability and transparency, and
inclusive partnerships. Globally, progress
has been made but more needs to be done.
In general, the governments of developing
countries have gone further than donors in
implementing their commitments, though
efforts and progress vary.
At the country level, aid effectiveness efforts have had wider impact on institutions
and, in turn, on development results. Since
2005, the Paris principles have been adapted
by a growing number of stakeholders, including civil society and parliaments, to specific needs and situations. However, efforts
to meet the needs of the poorest people must
be stepped up. Aid is only one element of the
development process; the Paris principles
are also applicable to other development efforts, such as South-South cooperation.
The Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Busan, Korea, Nov. 29 – Dec. 1,
2011), should forge deeper political commitment and identify concrete follow-through
actions. The post-Busan agenda should
ensure that aid supports development priorities, especially the Millennium Development Goals.