Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (PDAE), drafted in 2005, was born out of decades of experience for what does and does not work when allocating and utilizing aid development money. The principles have gained support across the world and within aid agencies – changing aid practices for the better. More and more aid recipients are creating their own national development strategies and aligning with donor groups to streamline efforts and goals, to ensure qualitative results for every dollar spent.
The five core principles of PDAE
1. Ownership: Developing countries set their own strategies for poverty reduction, improve their institutions and tackle corruption.
2. Alignment: Donor countries align behind these objectives and use local systems.
3. Harmonisation: Donor countries coordinate, simplify procedures and share information to avoid duplication.
4. Results: Developing countries and donors shift focus to development results, and results get measured.
5. Mutual accountability: Donors and partners are accountable for development results.
In 2008 the Accra Agenda for Action was designed and added to the Paris Declaration in order to strengthen and accelerate advancement towards the Paris targets. It proposed four main areas for improvement:
1. Ownership: Countries have more say over their development processes through wider participation in development policy formulation, stronger leadership on aid coordination and more use of country systems for aid delivery.
2. Inclusive partnerships: All partners – including donors in the OECD Development Assistance Committee and developing countries, as well as other donors, foundations and civil society – participate fully.
3. Delivering results: Aid is focused on the real and measurable impacts on development.
4. Capacity development: to build the ability of countries to manage their own development agendas.
– Mary Purcell
Source: OECD
Photo: Flixya
