Reforming Technical Cooperation for Capacity Development –

Getting it Right!

Silvia GUIZZARDICapacity Development Team

Development Cooperation Directorate, OECD/DAC

June 29, 2010

What are we going to talk about?

1. Understanding the issue – limited effectiveness of TC to support CD

2. Why TC has not worked so well? What should be done?

3. Conclusions and way forward

1. Understanding the issue: Limited effectiveness of TC to support CD

Capacity Development FRONT and CENTER

CAPACITY: ability of people, organizations, and society as a whole to manage their affairs successfully;

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: process by which people, organizations and society as a whole create, strengthen and maintain their capacity over time.

Capacity Development as KEY for ownership and leadership

Ultimate goal of all aid

What are some of the key featuresof Capacity Development?

Multi-dimensional concept: individuals, organisations, enabling environment;

Not only technical, but also social, political, governance-related determinants;

Long-term perspective needed;

Endogenous process;

Context specific;

Call for harmonisation, alignment of donor support to CD.

How have we supported CD so far?

Focus on What/When/Why, rather than How

Technical Cooperation most common practice– Technical Assistance– Training – Educational Grants

1960-2009: USD 400 billions spent in TC (OECD

estimates) = 1/5 total ODA in the period

TC effectiveness has been under exam for the past....40+years (!)

Pearson Commission 1968

Evaluation of the

effectiveness of TA

Personnel, Nordic Donors

1988

An evaluation of DFID Funded

technical Cooperation DFID 2006

AUSAID’s

approach to TA –

Getting Beyond

“Good Enough”2009

Rethinking

technical

Cooperation,

UNDP/Elliot

Berg 1993

Joint Study on

effective TC

for CD

JICA and other

agencies,

2008

Using Training to Build

Capacity for

Development – An

Evaluation of the World

Bank’s Project-Based

and WBI Training 2008

Joint

Evaluation of

Promising

Approaches to

TA

ECDPM, 2007

Some Quotations.....

“...Technical assistance often develops a life of its’ own, little related little related in either donor or recipient countries to national or global development objectivesto national or global development objectives” Pearson commission, 1969

“…. consultants can be high cost and supply drivenconsultants can be high cost and supply driven, and they are provided even where there is no partner ownership. Consultants often have a weak impact on weak impact on capacity development, because of a lack of appreciation of the underlying capacity development, because of a lack of appreciation of the underlying capacity problemscapacity problems, or an unrealistic expectation of the role that external advisory support can play in solving them”. DFID 2006

“The provision of TA personnel has been the subject of significant criticism in terms criticism in terms of cost and limited impactof cost and limited impact. ECDPM, 2007

“”Development agencies still tend to take the lead in the design, procurement, Development agencies still tend to take the lead in the design, procurement, supervision and reporting of TA personnelsupervision and reporting of TA personnel. The triangular relationship between development agency, country partner and TA personnel can easily undermine country ownership, working relationships and lines of accountability, and this needs to change”. ECDPM, 2007

2. Why TC has not worked so well? What should be done?

TC has not worked as expected... Why?

Supply-driven TC Limited understanding and consideration of local context Lack of active engagement of country stakeholders Short-term perspective Focus on narrow TC deliverables Substituting rather than enhancing local capacity Limited competition on TC providers’ selection Limited recognition of special challenges in fragile situations

What to do about it?In terms of situating TC...

Acknowledge that TC is not a panacea for CD;

Underlying drivers of CD must be taken into account:– Incentives, interests, dilemmas, resistance to change;– Contextual/systemic factors and constraints (i.e. civil service reforms)– Pressure to deliver short-term results;

Understand and address local context and constraints is a must;

Need for an integrated approach to deal with the complexity and all determinants of CD.

What shift are needed?In terms of enhancing TC effectiveness

Demand-driven TC Country stakeholders to play leading role in TC management Chanel through country systems and procedures where

possible Take full advantage of local expertise, resources, South-

South opportunities to complement traditional TC Results orientation Monitor and evaluate TC performance results (accountability

+ learning) Coordination and harmonization of support

Special Issue:TC in Fragile Situations(Some considerations)

Special challenges and complexity of fragile situations

Potential harmful effects of TC in aid-dependent/fragile situations

Trade offs and dilemmas to be openly recognised

TC provision to be considered strategically

No overload

Focus on state-building, but do not forget no-state actors (CSOs and private sector)

Adaptability, flexibility, realism, and modesty

Phased approach

Harmonisation of TC support imperative

2 Examples of on-going Reform Processes

The European Commission Making Technical Cooperation More Effective

AustraliaImproving Technical Assistance

Triggers • 2007 European Court of Auditors report

2004 Peer Review

New projects in fragile states

Objectives To provide quality TC

To provide support through PIAs

Gradual move from direct implementation to indirect support for CD;

Demand-driven and country owned TA,

Milestones July 2008: Backbone Strategy (BBS)

March 2009:Guidelines and Toolkit

Nov 2009: Political Commitment

Since 2004, stronger CD function within AusAID

Next Steps Implementing at the country/operational level

Reorganization within AusAID

Enhance ownership

Challenges Internal capacity and incentives

Coordination of EC members

Simplify EC procedures, use country procedures and processes

Still heavily reliance on TA

Limited understanding of context

Working mainly in fragile situations

Keeping the momentum within AusAID

The special issue of Training for CD

Growing evidence of shortcomings in current approaches to training

Dynamic South-North international debate on reforming training and support alternative approaches to learning to enhance their effectiveness for CD

The emerging consensus on learning practices for CD: Training < learning < capacity development Anchor support to learning within an integrated approach to CD; Learning programmes must be country-owned and demand-driven; Need for harmonization, co-ordination and joint efforts; Enhance quality of design of learning programmes; Enhance M&E of and assure adequate follow up to learning programmes; Make greater use of local resources/Southern providers of learning support.

3. Conclusions and Way Forward

Conclusions

Make TC work better can have great impact on CD;

There is emerging consensus on directional changes/behavioural shifts needed;

Both donor and partner country responsibility; Focus on country-led initiatives; Support on-going TC reforms, advocate for more; Learning through evidence; Explore full potential of SSC and national/local expertise.

Way Forward

Process picking up on emerging common ground; CD on the agenda of many key players: DAC, WP-EFF,

UNDP, networks, individual donors, Southern efforts; Enhance joint efforts - Need for better joined-up South-

North common approach and solutions; Existing process from the AAA momentum (Bogota’,

Seoul); TC as a low hanging fruit