MediaDev effectiveness

HLF4 - which took place in Busan, Korea from 29 November to 1 December 2011 - aimed both to evaluate progress already made towards achieving more effective aid, and to define an agenda for the future. The international socio-economic climate has changed greatly since the Paris Declaration for Aid Effectiveness was endorsed in 2005: the economic crisis, the increasingly prominent role played by emerging economies, and the diversification of development co operation flows all mean that focus needed to be widened.

International co-operation can no longer be understood as simply a relationship between “rich” and “poor” governments, but rather it is a complex network that includes middle-income countries that are both donors and recipients (South-South co- operation), multilateral organisations, international financial institutions, and non-governmental bodies such as the private sector and civil society organisations.
International development needs to open up to the wider development context; one that also takes into consideration the role of the private sector, the fight against corruption, preventing tax evasion. In these areas countries most in need suffer considerable losses of their domestic resources.
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After a lengthy and highly participatory negotiation process, the HLF4 concluded with the endorsement of the “Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co- operation” by over 160 countries and around 50 other organisations.

The UNDG has prepared one joint United Nations Paris Declaration Survey response, which allows continuity with previous years and is consistent with the spirit of the United Nations reform agenda and system-wide coherence. In 2011, in addition to a complementary UNDG report on implementing the Paris Declaration, UNDP and several other UNDG members have also been preparing individual agency reports, which globally consoli- date the 2010 results reported by agencies at country level. Given that no disaggregated data is available on UNDP performance in 2005 or 2007, there is no baseline on the basis of which UNDP could establish relative targets. While it is therefore not possible to measure progress between 2005 and 2010, the existing disaggre- gated figures on UNDP’s performance nevertheless provide a useful indication of how UNDP is faring in 2010.

With the exception of using country systems where further progress is needed, UNDP is faring well overall in reaching the 2010 Paris Declaration targets on effective aid. Slow progress on UNDP’s use of country systems mirrors the slow progress of most donors in increasing the use of country systems. Equally, UNDP’s implementa- tion of a number of Paris Declaration principles, like use of country systems and direct budget support, hinges on the decisions of its Executive Board, particularly those relating to internal rules and procedures, transparency and disclosure policy. On the other hand, UNDP has made great strides toward aligning aid flows with national priorities and improving the predictability of its assistance. While further efforts on harmonizing its support are needed, ongoing improvements to United Nations and UNDP programming and system-wide coherence are apparently already facilitating improvements in this area.