Along with the Accra Agenda for Action, The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness from 2005 formalises the work to be done to increase effectiveness in development cooperation.The Paris Declaration is based on five principles: ownership, alignment, harmonisation, managing for results and mutual accountability.
The evaluation is part of an international joint evaluation coordinated by the OECD/DAC. Evaluations will be compiled and findings will be presented at the High Level Forum in South Korea at the end of 2011.
The evaluation of Sweden’s implementation of the Paris declaration states that the five principles have strong support and commitment within the Swedish aid sector. The Government has transformed the Paris declaration into management and policy documents and Sweden has actively promoted the effectiveness agenda.
The progress of implementation has varied among contexts and sectors. Sweden has a long tradition of emphasising ownership and the status in this area is good. For alignment there has been progress in respect to several indicators. The progress and status for harmonisation is satisfactory, and this seems to be the principle in which most achievements have been made. Despite several initiatives from Sida and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs much remains to be done on managing for results. Hardly any signs of progress are found in terms of accountability and the practicable implications of this principle are not well understood.
What drives progress – besides formal governance and strong promotion from the Government, are committed individuals and their strive to contribute to better and more effective aid, as well as the belief that the Paris Declaration can be part of this endeavour. The practicable application of the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action needs to be constantly revised and updated as contexts change.
The evaluation concludes with recommendations directed to the Government Offices and Sida.
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