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Turning the Tables: Aid and accountability under the Paris framework

28 March 2008

2008 is a critical year for evaluating how aid is helping tackle global poverty and inequality. Three years ago aid donors and recipients signed up to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness - An historic agreement to improve aid quality. It is time to review progress. Have donors performed on their pledges? And is aid becoming more effective and accountable for impoverished people?

This report is the result of research in seven aid recipient countries, conducted by southern and northern civil society organisations, coordinated by the European Network on Debt and Development. This report focuses on progress against two principles of the Paris Declaration – ownership and accountability. These principles are the bedrock of aid reform but the area where least attention has been paid. While both donors and recipients have responsibilities to make aid more effective, this report concentrates on the responsibilities of donors to make sure aid contributes to address the many challenges faced by developing countries.

Donors are progressing in some areas, but all can improve their operations.

Some donors have implemented initiatives to improve aid implementation and open space for recipients’ influence. For example Irish Aid provides support to citizens’ audits in Honduras, the World Bank has opened up its country assistance strategy to discussions with civil society and the French government has maintained a small funding line for community initiatives in Mali. The report shows many examples of improving predictability – the EC and DFID have made commitments over longer time frames, greater openness – such as through the Mozambique donor database - and increased flexibility.

However, the French government is particularly inflexible in the programme support it provides to the Niger government and there is a lack of transparency about the real amounts of money provided to Mali through the different French agencies. USAID imposes its own unilateral rules and procedures in Mozambique, Mali and Honduras. The European Commission’s attempts to support civil society in Sierra Leone have yielded few results because of its difficult procedures. The World Bank and Inter American Development Bank are not using the national procurement system they helped establish in Honduras. DFID and the World Bank are funding implementation secretariats in key areas of Sierra Leonean policy making, bypassing government ministries. Predictable aid is still not forthcoming from many donors, with the World Bank determining its spending on a yearly basis.

Mozambique case study 

Sierra Leone case study 

Mali case study

Cambodia case study 

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Turning the Tables: Aid and accountability under the Paris framework : 1,314 Kb