KEEPING A DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: THE CHALLENGES IN ENSURING POLICY COHERENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT: A UGANDA’S PERSPECTIVE Presented by: Pius Bigirimana, Permanent Secretary Office of The Prime Minister, Kampala, Uganda   During the High Level Symposium of The 2010 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) Held in Helsinki, Finland 3rd- 4th June, 2010

Outline of the Presentation The role of Development Partners in ensuring Policy coherence for development Experience in strengthening the policy coherence agenda Experience in ensuring a coherent use of Aid and other development financing

Increasing flexibility and predictability of aid levels The role of Development Partners in ensuring Policy coherence for development Reducing complexity and transaction costs in the delivery of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) Increasing flexibility and predictability of aid levels Respect for Country systems and Structures Ensuring more consistency and provision of longer-term commitments

Experience in strengthening the policy coherence agenda There have been many challenges with donor coordination (especially with alignment with Government systems and processes and of harmony between DPs) A Joint Budget Support Framework (JBSF) and the Joint Assessment Frame work (JAF) established Considerations for joint financing mechanisms only (e.g. budget support, pooled funding, delegated cooperation etc.) or through multilateral agencies is underway Capacity building in providing adequate leadership on development investing in human resources and institutions making greater use of country systems and increasing the predictability of aid flows. This includes only development partners reporting aid to the OECD DAC and thus excludes emerging donors such as China, India and other countries. Note that the number of agencies administering aid may well be higher, as some countries disburse aid through more than one agency.

In Uganda in particular, measures to enhance better use of resources; Strengthening local accountability mechanisms Introduction of performance contracts Strengthening Government Performance Assessment including performance on JAF targets Mutual Accountability with Development Partners to be enhanced by developing accountability mechanisms

Development of a Partnership Policy Purpose is to guide partnerships between Uganda and its partners on aid and beyond aid issues. Translates the commitments in the Paris Declaration Principles and Accra Agenda for Action into actions Policy development was participatory and included a critical analysis of the past, the approaches for managing partnerships, funding modalities and institutional arrangements for aid management and coordination. Special focus on critical “Beyond Aid” issues with a discussion on how they influence or are influenced by the aid architecture. In the Uganda’s case, the most significant beyond aid issues are; Trade, Technology, Climate change, Agriculture, Regional Integration, Debt relief and debt sustainability, Migration and Remittances and so on.

Experience in ensuring a coherent use of Aid and other development financing Started with PEAP Partnership Principles in 2003 considering the experience from 1997 when Uganda pursued the Poverty Eradication Strategy Consistent with the Paris Declaration Principles on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action Government’s national coordination mechanism and structures have been strengthened and redefined to involve DPS and stakeholders Considerations are underway on relating with DPs on ODA Efforts being developed on the principles to apply on mutual accountability in aid partnership agreements However, despite these agreements, progress in strengthening this partnership with DPs has not advanced as fast as the Government and many DPs expected.

End pf Presentation THANK YOU