National Planning Processes and Policy Frameworks

- What Role for Civil Society and What Role for UNDP -

Designed by Geoffrey D. Prewitt

Poverty Reduction and Civil Society Advisor

Central and Eastern African Sub-Regional Facility

Kenya JPO Meeting– 27 May

Global Context

1.2 billion survive on less than $1 a day841 million hunger and food insecure1.1 billion have no access to safe water113 million children not enrolled in school515,000 women die of pregnancy related

causes11 million children die under age 536.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS (95% in

developing countries)

NationalDevelopmentPriorities and

PlanningProcess(PRS)*

Situation Assessmentand Analysis

Situation Assessmentand Analysis

National Development

& Poverty Plan

National Development

& Poverty Plan

Resource Allocation &

Aid Coordination

Resource Allocation &

Aid Coordination

ImplementationImplementation

Monitoring Implementation

&Impact

Monitoring Implementation

&Impact

Country Programmes and Projects

Country Programmes and Projects

UNDAFCAS

Other donor

assistance plans

UNDAFCAS

Other donor

assistance plans

CCACCA

Annual PRSP

Reports

MDGReports

Annual PRSP

Reports

MDGReports

National development planning & relationships with donor instruments

Presentation Content

1. The CCA/UNDAF, the PRSP, and the MDGs

2. What is the Relationship?

3. The Role of UNDP and CSOs

CCA/UNDAF

TOOLS OF UN REFORM AND PLANNING

“...The CCA and UNDAF should be related to assisting Government in implementing the Millennium Declaration. All should be assessed against the impact they have on reaching those targets…”

Source: Operational Activities of the United Nations for International Development Cooperation; Progress in the Implementation of the UNDAF, Section 145, General Assembly, 56th session ECOSOC resolution A/56/70 - E/2001/58; 14 May 2001

Assessment

Analysis

Action

CCA

UNDAF

Lessons from the preparation of other

CCA/UNDAFs Need to link and/or harmonize the CCA/UNDAF with

other policy and programming frameworks such as PRSPs

Establishment of multi-dimensional appreciation of human poverty as entry point

Importance of MDGs Transboundry matters and acknowledgement of

exogenous factors (including ODA flows) Role of other actors (particularly requirement of

engaging civil society in the design, implementation, and monitoring process)

Need for resource-mobilization

Lessons from the preparation of other CCAs/UNDAFs (continued)

Avoid false expectations, the UN agencies' programmes should be realistic and coincide with national development priorities and correct needs assessment

Link between priorities and measurable outputs (and establishment of subsequent indicators) - annexes found in the Zimbabwean and Kenyan UNDAF's provide a useful prototype

 

Interesting Country Examples

Burkina Faso has developed a strategic communication and public information program

The Congo-Brazzaville Country Team devised an innovative approach applying the basic principles of CCA, CAP and UNDAF in one single document, called the "UN Plan"

the Heads of UN Agencies in Somalia outlined the practical principles, their programmatic implications, and the actions to be taken by the UN operational agencies

highly participatory UNDAF process was reported by Mauritius

THE PRSP

Generic Perceptions on the PRSP - Lessons Thus Far -

Attributes of a Strong PRSP

Opportunities

Shortcomings

Core Principles of the PRSP country-driven, involving broad-based participation

by civil society and the private sector in all operational steps;

results-oriented, and focused on outcomes that would benefit the poor;

comprehensive in recognizing the multidimensional nature of poverty, but also

prioritized so that implementation is feasible, in both fiscal and institutional terms;

partnership-oriented, involving coordinated participation of development partners (bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental);

based on a long-term perspective for poverty reduction

Attributes of a Strong PRSP(compiled from country experience)

Nationally owned and developed through a broad and deep participatory and consultative process from the beginning of the exercise;

Long term perspective or focus;Analytically sound premised on national poverty

reduction objectives;Full information disclosure;Resources explicitly earmarked for poor and

marginalized groups; Integrated macro‑economic, structural, sectoral and

social considerations

Attributes of a Strong PRSP(compiled from country experience) - CONTINUED

Gender and environmentally sensitive; Assigned roles of stakeholders; Built upon instructive experiences and work to

date; Integrated into national planning and budgetary

system; Causal relationship between public actions and

poverty reduction Sound monitoring and evaluation criteria; and Cost effective.

Opportunities and Shortcoming

Opportunities Focus on Poverty

Reduction National Ownership/

Multi-Stakeholder Consultation

Comprehensive Political Process

Shortcomings Macro-economic Bias Bank/Fund Board

approval & Process vs. Product or Speed vs. Quality

Inconsistency between priorities and measurable benchmarks

Exposure of national sensitivities

Principles of Participation in the PRSP

Outcome Orientation Inclusion Feasibility Ownership Transparency Sustainability Effectiveness and Efficiency

Stages of the PRSP Process (Contents of this slide adapted from World Bank PRSP Source Book)

How Participatory processes can help 

Stage 1: Analytical and Diagnostic WorkResearch to deepen the understanding of poverty and reflect the diversity of experiences according to gender, age, ethnic or regional groups, and so forth.

Stage 2: Formulation of the strategyAnalysis of the poverty reduction impact of a range ofpublic expenditure options.Identification of public actions which will have themost impact on poverty. 

Stage 3: ApprovalApproval at the country level, then formal approval bythe World Bank and IMF Boards. At this point, debt relief and / or concessional loans become available

Stage 4: ImplementationAgreement on roles and responsibilities with government And service providers at the local level. Monitoring implementation.Feedback to revise the strategy and enhance its future effectiveness. 

Stage 5: Impact Assessment Retrospective evaluation of the Poverty ReductionStrategy to derive lessons for subsequent versions.

Participatory Poverty Assessments can supplement conventional data gathering and capture the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and different groups’ needs.

Participatory Analysis of the poverty reduction impact of public expenditure can generate deeper understanding than analysis by officials and experts only.

Negotiation between different national stakeholders over priorities can lead to broader ownership and more widely accepted consensus.

Also important is public approval, reach through extensive consultation between civil society representatives and their constituencies. Though non-binding, this is vital for broadening ownership and making the PRSP truly participatory.

Negotiation of roles and responsibilities with civil society can help generate agreed standards for performance, transparency and accountability.

Participatory research can enhance people’s awareness of their rights and strengthen the poor’s claims. 

Participatory monitoring of effectiveness of policy measures, public service performance and budgeting can contribute to efficiency and empowerment of the poor.

Participatory evaluation can bring to bear the perceptions of actors at different levels and their experience of the strategy. 

FeedBackTo

Nextphase

THE MDGs

Millennium Development Goals and Select Targets

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Halve the proportion of people with less than a dollar a

day. Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

2. Achieve universal primary education Ensure that boys and girls alike complete primary

schooling

3. Promote gender equality and empower women Eliminate gender disparity at all levels of education.

4. Reduce child mortality Reduce by two thirds the under-five mortality rate.

Millennium Development Goals (cont’d)

5. Improve maternal health Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

Why are the MDGs Important

Faltering progress of socio-economic development and growth

Global agreement/campaign– Global and national reporting

Time-bound and outcome/results oriented Improved, long-term monitoring Focus on people/cross-cutting Achievable but will require concerted action

from all stakeholder through partnerships, including increased resourcing

MDG Reporting

Global reporting annually: led by UN-DESA to General Assembly with comprehensive report every 5 years

Country-level reporting: led by UNCT through production of periodic MDG reports (MDGRs) – Advocacy tool for stimulating debate and mobilising resources

– Intended to be reader-friendly

MDGRs help provide a focus to national development debate and mobilise UNCT around concrete and common development agenda

The Relationship Between Instruments and Planning Processes

MDGs and NHDRs/CCAs/UNDAFs/PRSPs

NHDRs provide the appropriate data/baseline information to measure progress/regression

MDGs provide a core and common development focus for CCAs/UNDAFs

Indicators used for tracking MDGs are a sub-set of those in 2002 revised CCA Indicator Framework

MDGs can be used as entry point for UN engagement in PRSPs and enhance social sector focus

Use of MDGs in CCAs/UNDAFs and PRSPs helps give momentum to ensuring provision of basic social services targeted towards poorest

Relationship with the NHDR

NHDR promotes people-centered development much like the focus of the MDGs

NHDRs are analytical and/or policy documents and progress toward reaching the MDGs should be included in annually produced NHDRs

NHDRs are depositories of up-to-date and disaggregated country level data and can be used to monitor progress of MDGs– Note : beware of data discrepancies

Relationship with the CCA and UNDAF

The UN Country Team may propose using the CCA process as a basis for monitoring success toward the MDGs and preparation of the MDGR, with the agreement and/or full participation of the government.

The MDGR and the CCA focus on similar national and global goals, targets and indicators; and both aim to support the development of sustainable statistical systems and the skills to analyse and use data for policy-making and programming.

The UNDAF is a planning tool, such as the PRSP, to assist the UNCT to achieving the MDGs.

Relationship with the PRSP

For the PRSPs, the MDGs can be used as an entry point for UN engagement to enhance social sector focus. Essentially, the data from the MDG reports and an analysis of their policy implications can help balance PRSPs which are currently heavily macro-economic in focus.

It is also possible that in-between the preparation of periodic MDGRs, the Annual Progress Report on the PRSP–which will be increasingly available in HIPC and IDA countries–can be used as a tool for interim monitoring of progress towards the MDGs. This implies that the PRSP takes the MDGs into consideration and that the preparation of such Annual Reports will actively involve the UN country team and other partners.

The Role of UNDP and CSOs

Setting the Context for Civil Society Involvement in the PRSP and other National

Planning Instruments All actors need to be clear about the expected level of

civil society involvement; CSO participation should be made a priority and

commitment built to it within the UN and civil society; Training, support and appropriate tools should be

provided to UN Country Teams on participatory processes;

Timeframes for the PRSP should be revised, and sufficient resources allocated to support a participatory process;

Maximum use should be made of civil society inputs to consultation processes by permitting their influence on a number of policy processes;

Setting the Context for Civil Society Involvement in the PRSP(continued)

All actors need to be clear about the expected level of civil society involvement;

Commitment and capacity for engagement in the PRSP should be built among national CSOs;

Civil society expertise should be fully utilised, to improve both the process and product of the PRSP

Accountability structures specific to CSO participation in the PRSP should be developed within the UN system (including the BWIs); and

Participatory processes ensured to be inclusive and representative.

Potential Areas of UNDP Support to Civil Society and other Partners

(adapted from draft UNDP Policy Note on the PRSP)

The Process Promoting Regional/Country Ownership

through Institutional and Policy Coherence and UN Country Support

Fostering Participation of Multiple Stakeholders

Monitoring and Indicators Resource Mobilization

Potential Areas of UNDP SupportThe Content

Policy Options (pro-poor, pro-gender, pro-environment) and Poverty Assessments

Public expenditure review and budgets

Influencing Macro-economic frameworks, particularly in the area of trade and debt

NationalDevelopmentPriorities and

PlanningProcess(PRS)*

Situation Assessmentand Analysis

Situation Assessmentand Analysis

National Development

& Poverty Plan

National Development

& Poverty Plan

Resource Allocation &

Aid Coordination

Resource Allocation &

Aid Coordination

ImplementationImplementation

Monitoring Implementation

&Impact

Monitoring Implementation

&Impact

Country Programmes and Projects

Country Programmes and Projects

UNDAFCAS

Other donor

assistance plans

UNDAFCAS

Other donor

assistance plans

CCACCA

Annual PRSP

Reports

MDGReports

Annual PRSP

Reports

MDGReports

National development planning & relationships with donor instruments

“No shift in the way we think or act can be more critical than this: we must put people at the centre of everything we do.”

Kofi Annan, Millenium Report