In a presentation titled 'The Road from Paris to Accra" to the AfDB Board's Committee for Development Effectiveness (CODE) on July 18, Policy Economist with the Operations Policies and Compliance Department, Negatu Makonnen, underscored that the scope of the application of the Paris Declaration (PD) Principles should be broadened beyond the Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the PD principles should govern all aid flows, including aid from new and emerging donors as well as all resources mobilized internally and externally.
In this connection, Mr. Makonnen said the September 2-4 Third Accra High Level conference (HLF-3) would give prominence to the building of more, effective and inclusive partnerships through constructive engagement of new and emerging donors, private foundations, global funds and civil society organizations.
The presentation also highlighted two key priority focus areas for Accra HLF-3: The Food Crises and Escalating Oil Prices and the wider implication on the aid effectiveness agenda; and Enhanced Donor Complementarity and Country-led Division of Labor, among donors.
The presentation also pointed out that Accra would build upon the PD on Aid Effectiveness and underscored the international community's consensus on the direction and need for reforming aid delivery and management necessary for improved aid effectiveness and results. He reiterated that all new development actors would be called upon to adhere to the following five PD reinforcing principles:
Ownership: Partner countries exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies, and coordinate development actions;
Alignment: Donors base their overall support on partner countries' national development strategies, institutions, and procedures;
Harmonization: Donor actions are more harmonized, transparent and collectively effective;
Managing-for-results: Managing resources and improving decision-making for development results;
Mutual accountability: Donors and partners are accountable for development results.
He outlined additional key issues to be tackled at the Accra High-Level Forum; the necessary changes to be made in order to improve aid effectiveness and meet the Paris targets; concrete actions on the part of donors, governments and joint actions in partnerships as well as high-level messages that the Bank should advocate and push for action in Accra.
The conference in the Ghanaian capital will bring together ministers from over 100 countries, heads of bilateral and multilateral development agencies as well as donor and civil society organizations from around the world. It will take stock of progress in the implementation of the PD commitments, identify bottlenecks and challenges, and agree on concrete actions that will enable the international community to achieve the 2010 targets.
