Health Partnership Group

RetreatSaturday 18 April, 2015

Trends in effective development cooperation

Brief overview

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Effective Development Cooperation

The logic is simple: countries will achieve optimal results by having a good quality strategy that all partners support in a harmonized way, and with efficient systems to deliver it

Getting there is harder. It requires…• High level political commitment and concrete

organizational action to change stakeholders’ behaviour

• Technically sound tools and approaches to support high quality plans and robust systems

• Accountability for results

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The Development Landscape is Changing

• Shift from aid effectiveness to more inclusive notion of effective development cooperation (Busan, 2011)

• Traditional donor development assistance for health plateaued; rise of non traditional donors (BRICS)

• A new financing framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), following on from the MDGs, is under discussion

• Greater focus on results • Increasing number of lower middle income countries, but

external support and cooperation, and hence effective partnership forums, continue to be important

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The International Health Partnership (IHP+) : What is it about? - 1• IHP was established in 2007 with the aim to deliver

better health outcomes through more effective development cooperation

• Today it remains the only global partnership on development cooperation specifically for health

• By 2014, 36 middle and low income countries along with 29 development partners signed up at global and national level to improve effectiveness of their cooperation under the umbrella of the IHP+ Global Compact

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IHP+ What is it about? - 2

• Its activities and outputs include • Development of tools (JANS, JAHR); • Organisation and support to broad-based working groups to review and

make recommendations on specific issues, such as monitoring and evaluation, strengthening financial management systems; improving demand and supply of technical assistance; fostering mutual accountability;

• Undertaking performance reviews (the Score Card) and convening periodic meetings of key stakeholders to review progress

• IHP+ country team meetings in 2012 and 2014 suggested that the most critical areas for action are what has since become known as the ‘seven behaviours’. Improvements in these behaviours will help accelerate results.

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The seven behaviours

1. Agreement on priorities that are reflected in a single national health strategy and underpinning sub-sector strategies, through a process of inclusive development and joint assessment, and a reduction in separate exercises.

2. Resource inputs recorded on budget and in line with national priorities3. Financial management systems harmonized and aligned; requisite capacity

building done or underway, and country systems strengthened and used.4. Procurement/supply systems harmonized and aligned, parallel systems phased

out, country systems strengthened and used with a focus on best value for money. National ownership can include benefiting from global procurement.

5. Joint monitoring of process and results is based on one information and accountability platform including joint annual reviews that define actions that are implemented and reinforce mutual accountability.

6. Opportunities for systematic learning between countries developed and supported by agencies (south-south/triangular cooperation).

7. Provision of strategically planned and well-coordinated technical support.

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Commitment to intensified action on the seven behaviours by all development partners• Global Health Agency

Leaders Forum established in 2013 under the leadership of DG WHO and President World Bank - meets twice a year to discuss key issues in health development effectiveness

• The leaders fully endorse the pursuit of the seven behaviours, with initial focus on ‘One Information and Accountability Platform’

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Session 1: results-oriented collaboration – effective ways of working together

What we would like to achieve in this session

A better shared understanding of the challenges and constraints the HPG faces in effectively functioning as an inclusive results-oriented high-level policy forum, based on adopted development effectiveness principles and commitments outlined in the VHPD

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Session 1: results-oriented collaboration – effective ways of working together

Questions to be addressed in group work

• What are the key challenges the HPG is facing in fulfilling its role?

• Is the policy dialogue well-informed and inclusive, leading to requisite policy action and implementation by all stakeholders?

• How well are requests for technical support/TA formulated and coordinated?

• Why are the TWG not functioning as expected? Which MOH and donor ‘behaviours’ have facilitated/constrained TWG functioning in support of meaningful policy dialogue?

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Session 2: institutionalizing HPG processes

What we would like to achieve in this session

Identify and agree on mechanisms that will strengthen HPG operations, by putting already agreed HPG processes into practice, and adapting them as needed.

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Session 2: institutionalizing HPG processes

Questions to be addressed in group work

• Identify specific mechanisms to improve the functioning and operations of the HPG

• Suggest improved ways of preparing briefing documents and agendas for the HPG Forum, and for systematic follow up on recommendations and agreed actions by the TWGs and the HPG as a whole

• What is required to implement simple and sound management procedures, such as the preparation of calendars of events; reformed ways of conducting and reporting on meetings; timely sharing of information to underpin discussions and decisions

• How to ensure that agreed procedures are put into practice? What joint oversight structures are needed?

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Session 3: Development cooperation effectiveness principles and moving the VHPD forward

What we would like to achieve in this session

Part 1: A clearer understanding of development cooperation principles and approaches to reviewing to what extent they are being put into practice by government and development partners

Part 2:Agreement on how to move forward with the implementation of selected VHPD milestones

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Session 3: Development cooperation effectiveness principles and moving the VHPD forward: Part 1

The IHP+ Score Card and the 2014 Performance Reportaddress the following six issues underlying performance:

1. Health development cooperation is focused on results that meet developing countries’ priorities

2. Civil society operates in an environment which maximizes its engagement in and contribution to development

3. Health development co-operation is more predictable

4. Health aid is on budget

5. Mutual accountability among health development cooperation actors is strengthened through inclusive reviews

6. Developing countries’ public financial management (PFM) systems are strengthened and used

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Session 3: Development cooperation effectiveness principles and moving the VHPD forward: Part 1 cont…

Highlights from the Viet Nam ScorecardGovernment

Development partners

IHP+ 2014 Performance Report http://www.internationalhealthpartnership.net/fileadmin/uploads/ihp/Result_2014/Documents/IHP_report-ENG-WEB_v2.PDF

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Session 3: Development cooperation effectiveness principles and moving the VHPD forward: Part 1 cont…Some broad-based findings and issues• Collectively, countries have shown greater progress than DPs in moving on

good practice, but faster progress requires action by all development partners – governments, CSOs, private sector and by international development partners

• Score card focuses on quantitative indicators of what has been achieved (or not) but does not investigate why – hence dialogue needed in country

• Self reported – some questions about validity and congruence between DP and government answers – again, more meaningful dialogue needed

• All points to the importance on well functioning policy forums for dialogue between all stakeholders

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Session 3: Development cooperation effectiveness principles and moving the VHPD forward: Part 2Vietnam’s Country Compact - The VHPD

• Document has been jointly developed and adopted. • Text reiterates Vietnam’s commitment to harmonised and

aligned action, and to mutual accountability for results• Clear plans of action are required to begin implementing

the milestones which are:

10 milestones (see your hand-outs)

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Part 2 cont… Discussion of six selected milestones Development effectiveness behaviour

Milestones

Behaviours 1, 5, 7  

1. & 3. Development of the next 5-year health sector plan (2016-2020) that is linked to a realistic budget and a robust monitoring system in line with the JANS recommendations – and support to analytical work to inform the development of the 5 year plan

Behaviours 1, 5, 7 6. Strengthened capacity of TWGs to foster sub-sectoral and DP coordination, facilitate health sector policy dialogue and act as effective follow-up mechanisms to HPG decisions and recommendations

Behaviour 5 2. Coordinated monitoring, evaluation and reporting using one progress report for all donors based on a comprehensive aligned monitoring too.

All behaviours 10. The effective functioning of the VHPD and the HPG are supported by appropriate technical assistance, and by predictable and sustainable funding.

Behaviour 1, 7 9. Effective functioning of web-based donor and INGO data bases for improved development cooperation (both financial and technical ) in the health sector