Harmonisation
The Paris Declaration encompasses the compromise of international bodies and recipient countries to fulfil the agenda of harmonisation, alignment, and mutual responsibility. The Master Plan of Spanish development cooperation for the period 2005-2008 reflects this promise with the application of some of these policies and instruments, insisting, however, on the maintenance of project work.
What are the experiences of harmonisation and alignment at local level? What are the institutional changes that should be made in the Spanish development cooperation organisms so that they can successfully fulfil the requirements of the Paris Declaration? The recipient country, its government and its population are the space where the diverse initiatives of the Spanish development cooperation and other donors’ converge. What are the roles of Country Strategy Papers (CSP) and Technical Cooperation Offices (OTC)? How is the central, decentralised and multilateral aid integrated at the recipient country level? What are the coordination experiences between NGO and OTC?
Backgrounder by FRIDE
This document puts the harmonisation argument in context, claiming that
there has been a paradigm shift in development towards an increasing role
of the State as an agent of development.
Statement by DGPolDE
Statement by DGPolDE
We need to integrate the Paris commitments into our system of development cooperation. How do we do this? Organisational support, which means the coordination of available human resources in the system, decentralisation of diffusion responsibilities and the establishment of an incentive system to integrate the Paris Declaration into the Development Cooperation System.
Statement by Ana R. Alcalde, Carolina Foundation
There are two essential elements that may facilitate harmonisation in the near future: the recent passing of the Agencies Law and the progressive increasing of Spanish Aid channelled through mechanisms such as General Budget Support and the Sectoral focus (SWAP).
Statement by Nils-Sjard Schulz
Division of labour among European Donors is a pending task of international aid. Since February 2007 European donors have a Code of Conduct that spans perspectives, but also exposes the weaknesses of the current system.
Statement by Maria Delfina Alcaide and Silvia Sanz-Ramos
Vietnam has demonstrated a strong interest and willpower to put these principles into practice, transforming themselves into one of the countries conducting the largest number of pilot initiatives. As a result, Vietnam is considered to be a laboratory and world leader in the putting in motion of Declarations and consequently, is an interesting case study for those donors that wish to improve aid effectiveness in their countries of action.
Statement by Julia Flores and Achim Engelhardt, Lotus M&E Group
Civil society has played the role of monitoring and analysing the fulfilment of government national plans. In spite of this function of the civil society, it is well known that it has not been mentioned in the “Paris Declaration”.