May 2011: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the second phase of “The Evaluation of the Paris Declaration,” which was prepared by an independent reference group to evaluate progress on improving development cooperation and aid effectiveness in the run-up to the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in November 2011.

The Evaluation responds to three main questions: what are the factors that have shaped and limited the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness reforms and their effects; what improvements have been made in aid effectiveness as targeted in the Declaration; and what contributions have improvements in aid effectiveness made to sustainable development results?

The report contains country evaluations of aid delivery in: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Cook Islands, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, the Philippines, Samoa, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Viet Nam, and Zambia. It also contains evaluations of the following donors and aid agencies: the African Development Bank (AfDB); Austria; Ireland; Japan; Spain; Sweden; the US; and updates of Phase 1 donors.

Its main findings include that: priorities and timeframes for different reforms need to be adapted to the diversity of national situations; and nearly all 56 commitments in the original Declaration are highly relevant to improving development cooperation but remain to be fully implemented.

The evaluation recommends that policymakers in partner countries, as well as in donor countries and agencies: make the hard political choices and follow through; focus on transparency, mutual accountability and shared risk management; center and reinforce aid effectiveness efforts in specific countries; work to extend the aid reform gains to all forms of development cooperation; and reinforce the improved international partnerships in the next phase of reforms. The report also contains recommendations specifically to policymaker in partner countries, as well as to policy makers in donor countries. [Publication: The Evaluation of the Paris Declaration Phase 2] [Executive Summary] [Busan High Level Forum Website]