Donor coordination

There have been numerous discussions recently on the need (or lack thereof) of more aid for developing countries. An article in the Economist reminds us that the quality of aid is as important as its quantity.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami, according to a report in El Pais, an Acehnese girl developed measles symptoms thanks to three identical jabs from different aid agencies.

Although an extreme case of negligence, this is a very graphic example of how donors’ competition to have their flag planted on projects can have unintended consequences for those they want to help in the first place.

The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness remains critical but, according to the article, progress is weak on its goals of harmonizing donors’ policies and aligning them with the priorities of the governments.

Donors also remain intrusive, cumbersome and rivalrous in their giving. Far from slipping money quietly under doors, they are forever inviting themselves in to nose around. The OECD reckons that, between them, 31 poor-country governments received 10,837 donor “missions” in 2005, almost one a day. Even those that explicitly asked for “quiet periods” to get on with their real work were not spared.

Related

A recent conference at the World Bank discussed the Division of Labor among Donors. Watch the video.

(Via Owen)