an international aid agreement romilly greenhill policy officer actionaid international uk
TRANSCRIPT
An International Aid Agreement
Romilly Greenhill Policy Officer
ActionAid International UK
What is the problem?
Fundamental problem = unbalanced accountability
Excessive upward accountability Donors impose heavy burden of conditions
onto recipient governments Weak downward accountability
Donors not accountable to recipients or to poor people
Recipient governments focus more on donors than on the poor
Need to shift to mutual accountability
Elements of an International Aid Agreement
Clear financing policies from aid recipients
Shift from conditionality to mutual commitments
International forums to review donor progress
Guaranteed sources of development finance
1. Clear financing policies
Recipients prioritize forms of donor aid, and rank donors
Recipients reject aid that fails to meet minimum criteria
Options for poor scoring donors: Redirect aid through reformed
multilaterals Silent partnership agreements Leave the country or sector
2. From conditionality to mutual commitments
Commitments drawn from international agreements
Upward accountability reinforces downward accountability
Donors make commitments too: Aid volume Aid quality (predictability etc) Policy coherence (trade, environment)
Monitoring recipient compliance
Revised CG meetings Recipient failure to comply – aid may be
withheld BUT Minimum resource transfer Commitments linked to specific tranches of aid No suspension in within the financial year Shift funding through CSOs or UN where
possible Hold funding in trust
Monitoring donor compliance
Revised CG meetings
Sanctions against donors ‘Naming and shaming’ Refusing aid Reporting to UN Commissioner on Aid
3. International Forums
Annual international meetings Donors and recipients attend as equals Under ECOSOC? Regional organisations involved e.g.
ECA, African Union Full transparency and CSO participation
UN Commissioner on Aid Aid ‘ombudsman’ reporting to UN SG
Functions of International Meetings
Progress on aid quality, donor by donor
Progress on policy coherence Assessment of Real Aid by donor Aid allocations across countries Best practice Problematic areas
4. Guaranteed sources of financing
Binding long term commitments from donors 0.7% by 2010 Commitments at country level
Innovative sources of development finance Taxes on currencies and airlines IFF as second best option
Conclusions
Accountability is heavily skewed Need to shift from one-sided conditionality
to mutual accountability International Aid Agreement is
aspirational rather than realistic Elements can be put in place
independently Need to shift from donor self regulation to
international regulation and greater recipient country choice and voice.