The Accra High-Level Forum:
A Roadmap to Aid Effectiveness
April 2008
What is Accra HLF 3?
High level political event on aid effectiveness, prior to the UN Summit on
MDGs (September) and Doha Financing for Development (December)
Stocktaking of Paris Declaration commitments
Forward looking event: road to 2011 and beyond
Attending will be around 100 partner countries, most donors, most
international aid agencies
Not an ―OECD/DAC‖, ―Ghana‖, or ―World Bank‖ event – but representing
a partnership of donors and partners
800 – 1000 participants including civil society organizations
Ministers responsible for aid received invitation
Strong civil society engagement
Main Objectives for the Accra HLF
Gauging progress on implementing the Paris Declaration
Reinforcing country leadership of aid, ownership, and building
capacity: putting partner countries in the lead is key
Learning from surveys, initial evaluations, and analytic work, and
addressing shortfalls and other bottlenecks
Maintaining high level attention
Broadening and deepening implementation of aid effectiveness
Ensuring Paris/Accra process is robust enough to serve new aid
architecture – e.g., ―new‖ donors, vertical funds, private
foundations, the private sector
Making the link to achieving development results
The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
In March 2005, Ministers and Heads of Agencies of partner
countries and development partners endorsed the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
It reflected the commitment to provide and manage aid in line
with the principles of ownership, alignment, harmonization,
managing for results, and mutual accountability as a means of
better achieving development results.
The declaration also established a monitoring framework of
indicators and targets
The Paris Declaration Principles
INDICATORS SURVEY REVIEWS
Paris Declaration Indicators to
Ownership 1 National development strategies
Alignment 2 Quality of country systems
Monitor Commitments
3 Alignment: aid is on budget
Harmonisation 4 Coordinated support for capacity
development
5 Use of country systems
6 Parallel PIUs
7 In-year predictability of aid
8 Aid is untied
9 Programme-based approaches
10 Joint missions & analytic work
Managing for Results 11 Results-oriented frameworks
Mutual Accountability 12 Reviews of mutual performance
Implementing the Paris Agenda
The ―good news‖ – change process is underway with progress
since Paris
Need to do more to deepen implementation and broaden
impact
Road to Accra – opportunity to address the next generation of
issues
Core Issues identified by Partner Countries
In the lead-up to Accra, many discussions have been held, and
have identified a number of issues to address in Accra, including:
Strengthening capacities (including aid management capacity)
Improving predictability of aid
Untying aid
Addressing questions on conditionality
Achieving better complementarity and division of labor by donors
Improving incentives in donor agencies for effective aid
Addressing cross-cutting and other key development issues,
including on health, education, human rights, environment, gender,
poverty, governance, anti-corruption, accountability
The Working Party on Aid Effectiveness
The Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, a partnership of partner
countries and donors hosted by the OECD/DAC, is planning
HLF3
The Working Party was set up in 2003
It comprises:
• All DAC bilateral donors + European Commission (23
members)
• 23 partner countries
• Most multilaterals: UNDP, IMF, World Bank, Regional
Development Banks, Vertical funds, SPA
Two previous High-Level Fora have been held – in Rome (2003)
and in Paris (2005), where the Paris Declaration was endorsed
Structure of Accra HLF 3
Evaluation Reports (ph 1)
2008 Monitoring Survey
Accra Agenda for Action
HLF-3 Progress Report
List of Roundtables
RT 1 : Country ownership
RT 2 : Alignment: country systems, predictability
RT 3 : Harmonisation – complementarity (division of labor)
RT 4 : Managing for results & development impact
RT 5 : Mutual accountability
RT 6 : Civil society & aid effectiveness
RT 7 : Aid effectiveness in fragile situations and post-conflict
RT 8 : Sector experiences (health, education, infrastructure, etc.)
RT 9 : Implications for aid effectiveness of new aid architecture
Roundtable Co-Chairs
Donor Co-chair Partner Country w/ support from
Co-chair
1 Ownership Switzerland Colombia UNDP, France, Japan
2 Alignment European Commission Bangladesh Tanzania, UK
3 Harmonisation Germany Uganda US
4 Results and Impact JV-Managing for South Africa UNDP, UK, US
Development Results
5 Mutual Accountability Ireland Tanzania US, UK
6 Civil Society Canada Nepal Advisory Group on Civil
Society
7 Fragility France + AfDB DR Congo Netherlands, Norway,
US
8 Sector applicability Sweden Honduras GTFAM, WHO, World
Bank, Japan
9 Aid architecture World Bank Ghana GPLG, Japan, UNDP
The Accra Agenda for Action (AAA)
Present plans call for the outcome document (or communiqué)
of HLF3 to be called the Accra Agenda for Action. It should:
Supplement (not substitute for) the Paris Declaration
Reflect the ownership and leadership of Partner Countries
Identify key actions to help achieve better aid effectiveness
Respond to potential emerging issues
Inform how the international community might deal with current
global priorities – e.g., the food price crisis, climate change, etc
Engage new participants in the process – e.g., new donors
AAA Preparation Timeline
OUTPUTS FOR DISCUSSION RELEASE DISCUSSION
Annotated Outline of the Action
19 Jan. 2008 Steering Committee (SC) Meeting — 30 Jan.
Agenda (AAA)
SC Meeting — March 3 and 17
Zero Draft of the AAA 25 Feb. 2008
DAC Meeting — 5 March
18 March
First Draft of the AAA WP EFF — 2-3 April
2008
―Menu of Options‖ Note 28 April 2008 Regional Preparatory Events, etc.
Regional Preparatory Events
April-June
Series of consultations DAC HLM / Spring meetings (April / May)
2008
RDB annual assemblies (May)
mid June WP EFF Meeting — 9-10 July 2008
Next Draft of the AAA
2008 UN DCF July 2008
Final consideration of the AAA September High-Level Forum, Accra, 2-4 September 2008
The Preparation Process
Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (WP-EFF):
Two plenary meetings before Accra:
• 2-3 April 2008
• 9-10 July 2008 to guide final preparations
HLF3 Steering Committee: frequent meetings to advise on the
organization and content of the forum
“Consensus Group” to negotiate AAA
Consultations with CSOs: Advisory Group on Civil Society has
held regional, national and international consultations
throughout 2007 and 2008, and held discussions with WP-EFF
The Preparation Process (continued)
DAC meetings and HLM
Ghana’s partner country preparation initiative (KY Amoako)
Use of regional and international events:
Meetings • UNECA-AUC meeting, Addis, 31 March, 2008
• Washington Spring meetings, 12-13 April, 2008
• Regional Development Banks annual assemblies: e.g. AfDB
Maputo, 14-15 May, 2008
Global Learning group, health as a ―tracer‖ sector
Work with non-DAC providers of Development Assistance
Work streams Task Team on complementarity/DoL
and processes Fragile States
Various SPA working groups
Other
The Preparation Process:
Regional Preparatory Events
Lead Regional
(Sub) Region Date Venue
Development Bank
Asian Development
Bank & Pacific Island Pacific 4-7 April (completed) Fiji
Forum
Asian Development Southeast Asia 21-22 April
Bank & United
South Asia 5-6 May Bangkok, Thailand
Nations Development
Programme Central & West Asia 8-9 May
African Development
Africa 28-30 April Kigali, Rwanda
Bank
Inter American Latin America & Santa Marta,
5-6 June
Development Bank Caribbean Colombia
Islamic Development 1-2 June (to be
Middle East Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Bank confirmed)
WORKING PARTY CSOS REGIONAL PROGRESS REPORTS ACCRA AGENDA FOR
PREPARATORY ACTION
EVENTS
2008 SURVEY
JAN International survey
Timeline to Accra
OTTAWA (3-6 FEBRUARY) launched on 2 January
International multi- 30-40 countries assess
FEB stakeholder meeting on progress at country level
CSOs and aid effectiveness Countries report data on
(summary)
indicators and key
messages for analysis
MAR AAA FIRST DRAFT
Survey completed by 31
2-3 APRIL March 2008
REGIONAL
Review plans for HLF3
APR incl. Roundtable Structure
PREPARATORY EVENTS
and preparations Organized by Regional
Development Banks, UNDP
Discuss first elements of
and other interested parties
MAY the Accra Agenda for
Action Workshops or series of
smaller consultations
Comments on the AAA
JUNE
Identifying key messages
and actions for ACCRA
9-11 JULY ACCRA PROGRESS
JULY Review revised draft of REPORTS
AAA FULL DRAFT
the AAA Overview of the 2008
Take stock of regional Survey is finalized
AUG preparatory events Accra Progress Report is
Review preparations for ACCRA (31 AUG – 1 SEP) finalized
HLF3 CSOs are planning a
SEPT special forum in Accra,
AAA FINAL DRAFT
ahead of the HLF3
Thank You for Your Attention