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Ms. Susanna WolfSenior Programme Officer LDC UnitUN-OHRLLS

UN-OHRLLS Brainstorming meeting on the substantive preparations for UN LDC IV

14-16 July, 2010. New York, NY

Proposed Methodology for the Assessment of the

BPoA

Objective of UNLDC IV

“To undertake a comprehensive appraisal of the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Decade 2001-2010 by the least developed countries and their development partners, share best practices and lessons learned, and identify obstacles and constraints encountered as well as actions and initiatives needed to overcome them;” (A/RES/63/277).

Overview

Previous assessmentsMain shortcomings and challengesOptions for a comprehensive

appraisalWay forward

BPoA, paragraph 21 (e):

“The process of identifying, assessing and monitoring progress on processes and concrete outcomes will be a key aspect of the implementation of the Programme of Action and its success will be judged by its contribution to progress of LDCs towards achieving international development targets, as well as their graduation from the list of LDCs.”Both regional review meetings – the Asia Pacific and the Africa review - have concluded that despite significant progress achieved in different areas for a number of countries, the BPoA remains an unfinished agenda.

Previous assessments of the implementation of the BPoA

BPoA has 30 quantified and time- specific development targets.

Mid-Term Review in 2006 painted a mixed picture on the implementation of the BPoA.

SG reports on the implementation of the BPoA highlight slow progress.

Other reports: UNCTAD, CDP, MDG8, etc.

Very few LDCs have graduated.

Assessments of goals and targets

Only for a small number of goals more than half of the LDCs have met the target or are on track:1. Attain a GDP growth rate of at least 7 % p.a., 2. Increase the ratio of investment to GDP to 25 % p.a., 9. Eliminating gender disparities in primary education by 2005, 16. Increasing the percentage of women receiving maternal and prenatal care by 60 %, 19. Promotion of children health and survival.

28. Only 9 out of 22 DAC donors met the target of providing at least 0.15 per cent of their GNI in ODA to LDCs in 2008.

Shortcomings of reviews

For some commitments no goals and targets exist, thus they have been largely neglected in existing assessments.

Commitment 2: Good governance at national and international levels

Commitment 5: Enhancing the role of trade in development

Commitment 6: Reducing vulnerability and protecting the environment

For several goals and target no data exist for a significant number of countries e.g for hunger and gender disparities in education

More focus on commitments and actions

The roles that LDCs and their development partners played in implementing the commitments and actions also need to be assessed:

Have measures been implemented? Are measures sufficient to reach targets? Have other factors influenced the effectiveness of

measures?

Establish a link between the implementation of the commitments through actions by LDCs and development partners and the achievement of the goals and targets.

Lead questions for a comprehensive assessment

What worked and why and what did not work and why?

Which of the goals and targets of the BPoA have been achieved?

What are the gaps in available information on achieving the goals and targets?

Why have some goals been achieved in some countries and not in others?

What are the factors behind implementation gaps?

Issues to be considered in developing a

methodology for the appraisal:

What criteria for being “on target” or “off target” could be used?

How to assess commitments that do not have specified goals and targets but are important for the overall success?

Some goals and targets might be more important than others in assessing the overall success of the BPoA.

Key actions and indicators for their implementation need to be identified.

What new or revised targets could be derived?

Thank you.

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