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Partnerships for poverty reduction: changing aid 'conditionality'

A draft policy paper for comment - Embargoed until 15:00 on 2 October 2004

September 2004

Posted with permission of DFID (Pretoria).
DFID invites comments on this paper which can be sent, before 30 November 2004, to: conditionality@dfid.gov.uk
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Summary

Our understanding of what makes aid effective is changing. Evidence and experience have challenged traditional approaches to ‘conditionality’ (where each donor frequently attached conditions to its aid in order to promote particular policies in the partner country). This paper sets out a new approach to building a successful partnership for poverty reduction. We believe that developing countries must have room to determine their own policies for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and can use aid most effectively if they can predictably rely on it as part of their long-term budget plans.

As in any relationship, a good aid partnership is based on an open dialogue, with rights and responsibilities on both sides. Each partner will take account of the views and concerns of poor people. Each will be committed to transparency, and will make public their decisions and the evidence on which they are based. Both donor and developing countries will be accountable, to their citizens and the wider global community, for showing how aid is supporting sound policies, which improve the quality of life for poor people.

Within a framework of partnership, both parties need a clear statement of the terms and conditions of aid. Donors need to show that aid is being used to support an effective programme of poverty reduction. Developing countries need to know what aid they can expect when, and to be clear under what circumstances it can be withdrawn.

This paper sets out the UK’s position on the use of conditions in effective partnerships for poverty reduction:

  • Aid terms and conditions must support, not ‘buy’ reform. The terms and conditions of aid will be strongly linked to benchmarks, which both partners agree are critical for tracking progress on poverty reduction.
  • A major purpose of setting terms and conditions will be to demonstrate to UK citizens and Parliament that overseas aid is well spent; and to strengthen the public accountability of DFID and partner governments in delivering on their commitments.
  • In sensitive policy areas such as privatisation, the UK will only use conditions to back reforms where partner governments have had space to debate - including where appropriate in Parliament - the full range of policy options, and have made their own decision informed by clear evidence of the benefits to poor people. The UK strongly supports the use of poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA) for such purposes.
  • The UK will continue to attach ‘process conditions’ to improve the quality and effectiveness of aid. For example, we will use conditions that strengthen participation by poor people in decision-making. However, such conditions must be carefully designed so as not to interfere with national political processes.
  • The UK will seek to make aid more predictable by being clear up front about the basis on which funds will be reduced or stopped. Relevant criteria will include compliance with international obligations on human rights and peace and security.
  • The UK will work with other donors to improve aid harmonisation and limit the overall burden of ‘conditionality’. In particular, we will continue to press both the World Bank and the IMF to monitor and streamline their combined terms and conditions.
This paper also identifies areas where more work is needed. Specifically, we will look at the appropriate use of ‘conditionality’ in fragile states. And, building on recent European Union experience, we will explore the potential to link aid to performance results or outcomes rather than a partner government’s policies.

Over the coming months, we shall seek comments on this draft policy paper from developing countries, other development agencies and members of the public. By early 2005, we will develop new guidelines for DFID staff to help put this new approach into practice.



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