EuropeAid

Reforming Technical Cooperation

__________________

The Backbone Strategy

on TC & its core elements

__________________

EUROPEANCOMMISSION

EuropeAid

2

Main challenges __________

Supply-driven

Not enough focuson results

Mixed standardof experts

quality

Overreliance onnorthern commercial

providersParallel PIUs- outside country

structures – absorb resources and

do not develop capacities

Unsatisfactory tracking

of TA performance …

EuropeAid

International Aid Effectiveness commitments – Paris indicators:

Indicator 4: 50% of TC implemented via coordinated programmes

Indicator 6: reduce by 2/3 the stock of parallell PIUs

EU targets:

Provide all capacity building assistance via coordinated programmes and increasing use of multi donors arrangements

Avoid the establishment of (parallel) PIU

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Drivers of change __________

EuropeAidEuropean Court of Auditors on TA (2006) __________

Recommended areas of work:

improve design + result orientation

promote new sources/types of providers

better selection of expertise/revision of evaluation criteria

enhance coordination among donors

performance tracking/database

more ownership

4

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5

Improved effectiveness and sustainability of EC development assistance, based on:

Provision of “quality TC” that supports country-led

programmes, based on partner demand and focused

on sustainable results

Provision of support through partner-owned project

implementation arrangements, with a

substantial reduction of Parallel PIUs

Vision __________

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7. Avoid use of Parallel PIU & promote effective Project ImplementationArrangements

ECTechnical

Cooperation

1. Primary aim is Capacity Development

2.Demand led approach where TC is not provided by default

8. Consider innovative options for TC provision

3.Strong result orientation

6. Work through harmonized and aligned actions

5. Take account of country/sector requirements

4.Country owned & managed TC processes

Eight guiding principles __________

EuropeAidIn line with the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) __________

Donors’ support for capacity development will be demand-driven and designed to support country ownership

Developing Countries and Donors will : i) jointly select and manage technical cooperation ii) promote the provision of technical cooperation by local and regional

resources, including through South-South Cooperation

Donors will strengthen their own capacity and skills to be more responsive to developing countries’ needs

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Four purposes of Technical cooperation __________

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1. Strategic dialogue

2. Improve design management & accountability

3. Improve tendering, contracting & other procedures

4. Communication, knowledge management, training

5. Implementation and monitoring of the Strategy

The five working axis __________

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At country level – menu of interventions: Support sector/national policies on TC and PIU Support plans for capacity development at sector level Address public sector reforms Promote dialogue on "top up“ Inform other donors on TC operations in the pipeline engage in joint/co-financing

HQ level: participation in ongoing dialogue at international level promote joint guidance organize joint training/sector seminars

Axis 1: Strategic dialogue on TC and PIUs __________

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Axis 2: TC design, management and accountability __________

Better design - Guidelines on TC:

Assess demand for TC Consider/adapt to context Assess existing capacity Optimize harmonization Result oriented design Get the right inputs – Dos

and Don’ts in ToR Monitor/evaluate results … beyond PIU towards

implementation arrangements

Process wise:

Partner countries involvement in project design and management

accountability of TC providers to partner countries

Better monitoring and performance assessment systems

EuropeAidA summary of the Guidelines in 6 lines __________

1. Convert ownership into practice : results, roles, inputs to be defined both for partners and donors

2. Assess/adapt to demand, to context and to existing capacity – and harmonize

3. Let results be the driver

4. Analyse options, look for the right type of provider

5. Track / monitor results, ensure domestic accountability

6. …… think in terms of project implementation arrangements

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EuropeAidFocusing on the partner’s programme __________

Don

or

TC

inp

uts

&activ

ities

is wrongly assumed leading to

Sustainablecapacity and

results

“may” lead toSustainable

capacity and results

Activities by partner and by

donor TC inputs, under

partner leadership

Partn

er-o

wned T

C su

pp

ort

13

DonorTC inputs &activities

EuropeAidLook for results beyond TC deliverable __________

Resu

lt-orie

nte

d T

C su

pport

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EuropeAid…Programme implementation arrangement… __________

Five key parameters:

1. Governance and accountability

2. Management set-up

3. Logistical autonomy

4. Relations between TC experts, partners and the EC

5. EC’s and other donors’ roles

More autonomous or more integrated depending on purpose / nature of the programme and changing over time

!! No blueprint solutions – help partners to

get it right and flexible

Pro

gra

mm

e im

ple

men

tatio

n a

rrang

em

en

ts 15

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Quality Matrix in a snapshot__________

1. Demand,

adequate ownership and capacity of partners

2. Fits the

context and existing capacity

3. The

support is harmonised and sustainability of benefits considered

4. Link to

outputs and expected outcomes

5. The

programme implementation arrangements are appropriate

•Commitment and demand

•Partner participation

• No critical constraints

•Existing capacity enable absorption

•Similar programmes/TC support has worked

• Synergies and harmonisation options explored

•Stand-alone TC support clearly justified

•Results defined beyond TC deliverables

•Partner inputs are specified

•PIA is adequate for results

•Managerial autonomy is adequate

•Partners lead and are accountable to domestic stakeholders

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Quality Grid: self assessment at country level __________

1. How have key stakeholders express

their demand (…) ?

2. How does the context analysis confirm that TC is the appropriate aid response (…) ?

3. What synergies and harmonization options have been explored (…)?

4. How are outputs and expected

outcomes defined (…)?

5. How is the PIA design based on results

to be achieved (…)?

To be attached to the Action Fiche for “significant” TC operations and all TC focused programmes

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Axis 3: TC procurement, contracting and other procedures __________

Objectives:

More ownership of Partner Governments

Facilitate co-financing and delegated cooperation

Mobilize public sector expertise, including of MS

Improved quality of experts

… These objectives are possible with the existing rules and procedures!

EuropeAidA menu of options __________

Three levels to consider during

Identification and Formulation

Procedures that support the TC

reform

Results

Who is financing?

Co-financing:preferably pooled funding under national leadership

Better harmonisation of TC

Who is managing the action

Delegated Cooperation: preferably the Partner (Decentralised management)

More ownership

What contractual forms

Possible modes of execution (service contract, grant...)

Better CD result

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EuropeAid Who will be managing the action? __________

20 !! Don’t forget national leadership

EuropeAidHow to contract expertise (public administration expertise as example) __________

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Service contract Grant

Negotiated procedureor others tendering

Direct award orcall for proposal

EuropeAidWhen justified…. __________

Direct award of a grant:

« Actions with specific caracteristics which require a particular type of body on account of its technical competence, its high degree of specialization or its administrative power » (PRAG)

Well proven competence in the AAP/financing decision

Informal call of interest to MS

Negotiated procedure:

« Where services are entrusted to public sector bodies or to non profit institutions /associations and relate to activities of an institutional nature or designed to provide assistance in the social field » (PRAG)

Informal call of interest to MS

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EuropeAidGood practices for more quality

CONTENTS PROCESS

Drafting good term of reference take time. Plan ahead!More 14 days necessary for good expertise.

Has the partner be the leader in the drafting? Or at least be involved/consulted?Evaluation grid: specify the

competencies needed (related to local expertise) as a criteriaCheck references

Evaluation of tenders/standard practices: - organise interview for mid term position (telephone, video)-check references

Is the partner responsible for the evaluation? If not how is he involved as a voting member in the evaluation? If not key experts must be approved by partner country. They can ask replacement of key experts.

Monitoring: assess /fill up forms + creation of a database to monitor TC performance

Is the partner supervising the TC activities?

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Revision of PRAG (finalised end of 2008) __________

Recruitment of individual consultants

Interviews and references of experts

Mobilisation of public expertise

Partner Government ownership (design, evaluation, reporting..)

Suspensive clause for EDF

Mid-term actions:

Database on quality experts Further develop twinning

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Axis 4: Communication, knowledge management and training __________

Ongoing broad in-house campaign

Address broader audience at country level

Mobilize and equip internal "strategy communicators/focal points“

Map knowledge centers

EuropeAidwww.capacity4dev.eu: Facilitating exchanges, collaboration and learning __________

Users: EC family the rest of the world, including partner countries, Member

States, other donors, academia and civil society

Content: Advanced knowledge management and search capability User empowered (share knowledge, peer support, upload

material comment, rate, tag etc) Online work groups, collaboration spaces and tools: both

Internal (EC Only) and Public Spaces Dedicated editorial team for high value contents : news,

interviews, hands on practical info, cases studies

Launch: April 09

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EuropeAid

DRAFT

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EuropeAidwww.capacity4dev.eu: Structure__________

Contribute to capacity !Upload contents at www.capacity4dev.eu

or send us ideas: europeaid-tc-piu@ec.europa.eu

Vertical navigation:

1. Capacity development

2. Public Sector Reform

3. PFM

4. Governance

5. Working with TC

6. TC and Reforms

Horizontal access by: Region / Country Sector (DAC) Type of Content Keyword / Tag Date, by Author / submitter…

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… and training open to other donors and partners __________

Basic training on TC:

Hands-on training kit HQ - Syslog - 1,5 day (+ 0.5

days coaching) (FR) 13-14/05/09 (EN) 22-23/06/09

Country level – for pilot programmes

E-learning – in progress Promote use of internal

trainers

…..and more:

New course on Capacity Development within SWAP at country /sector level

More training on Public Sector Reforms and on PFM reforms

Check on Syslog for upcoming trainings!

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Axis 5: Implementation / monitoring of the strategy __________

Implementation Framework set up with identified responsibilities at

HQ and in Delegations

External evaluation of TA launched by the end of 2009

The Panel - Reach out to external partners to dialogue on TC,

including partner countries

European Court of Auditors announced follow up

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Implementation at country level __________

January 2009

Mapping of “significant” TC and parallel PIUs

Concise Country Action Plans Redress “policy gaps” in significant TC operations Phase out parallel PIUs existing by 2010 Improve project implementation arrangements Frame the preparation of TC operations and PIUs Grasp opportunities for enhanced coordination

Modulate / specify the strategy at country level

EuropeAidDelegations tasks __________

Dialogue and communication Focus on design and management of programmes –

Apply the Guidelines and their quality criteria Look carefully at the annex on procedures – Plenty of

new options ! Follow up on the mapping of TC and your action plan Contribute/use the platform « Capacity4dev.eu »

Organize training (hands on kit)

Call for Directorate E / HQ support

Identify innovative programmes and communicate

around them to Headquarters

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EuropeAidHow can headquarters support you __________

A menu of possible activities :

Tailored training and learning/coaching events

Presentations and working sessions with country stakeholders

Identification/support to innovations - ad hoc assistance and coaching

Promotion of the web platform www.capacity4dev.eu including collecting

your views on the platform, etc...

Peer support among delegations at regional / sector level and/or partner

countries, including reviews of mapping and action plans.

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Thank you for your attention! __________

For further information:

Internet: www.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/delivering-aid/aid-

effectiveness/index_en.htm

www.capacity4dev.eu

Intranet: www.cc.cec/dgintranet/europeaid/activities/adm/

technical_cooperation/index_en.htm

Functional mail box: EuropeAid-TC-PIU@ec.europa.eu

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Glossary / Annexes __________

DAC definition: Technical Cooperation

DAC definition: Coordinated TC

DAC definition: Parallel PIU’s

Project implementation arrangement

ECA recommendations on TA

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DAC definition of “Technical cooperation _______

Technical cooperation (also referred to as technical assistance) is the provision of know-how in the form of personnel, training, and research, and associate costs.

It comprises: donor-financed activities that augment the level of knowledge skills technical know-how or productive aptitudes of people in

developing countries and Services such as consultancy, technical support or the

provision of know-how that contribute to the execution of a capital project.

The DAC survey of the Paris Declaration uses this definition and adds that “TC should include both free-standing TC and TC that is embedded in investment programmes or is included in programme based approaches”.

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Coordinated TC meets both criteria below:

1. Have relevant country authorities (government or non-government) communicated clear capacity development objectives as part of broader national or sector strategies? (Y/N)

2. Is the technical cooperation aligned with the countries’ capacity development objectives? (Y/N)

… and at least one of the criteria below:

3. Do relevant country authorities have control over the technical cooperation? (Y/N)

4. If more than one donor is involved in supporting country programmes, are there arrangements involving the country authorities in place for coordinating the technical cooperation provided by different donors? (Y/N)

DAC definition of “Coordinated TC” __________

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DAC definition of Parallel PIU __________

A PIU is parallel when it is created and operates outside existing country institutional and administrative structures at the behest of a donor. PIUs are said to be parallel when there are three or more “Yes” to the four questions below (anything less counts as integrated):

1. Are the PIUs accountable to the external funding agencies/donors rather than to the country implementing agencies (ministries, departments, agencies etc)? (Y/N)

2. Are the terms of reference for externally appointed staff determined by the donor (rather than by the country implementing agencies)? (Y/N)

3. Is most of the professional staff appointed by the donor (rather than the country implementing agencies)? (Y/N)

4. Is the salary structure of national staff (including benefits) higher than those of civil service personnel? (Y/N)

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Programme implementation arrangement __________

Generic term adopted by the EC for the organizational set-up

that any project needs for implementation, whether supported by donors or not. A PIA may focuses on how both donor and country partner inputs will be organized and managed

Five parameters to consider when defining the PIA: 1. Governance and accountability 2. Management set-up3. Logistical autonomy of the PIA 4. Relations between TC experts, partners and the EC 5. EC’s and other donors’ roles in the PIA

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European Court of Auditors' Report: 8 recommendations on TA__________

1. Country Strategy Papers to include analysis of institutional

weaknesses & capacity needs.

2. Develop TA guidelines.

3. Improve design of capacity development projects.

4. Review TA procedures for preparation/start-up to allow

more time for implementation and more flexibility.

EuropeAid

5. Review evaluation criteria in TA tenders to reflect

quality and previous experience.

6. Consider more options/choices in procuring technical

expertise, e.g. public institutions and beneficiary

country/region.

7. Increase use of TA through coordinated programmes and

apply implementation arrangement that encourage local

ownership.

8. Assess systematically TA performance (management

information system).

European Court of Auditors' Report: 8 recommendations on TA__________

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