The APRMNPoA and the PRSP Processes: Working Together to Achieve the MDGs at the SubNational Level C

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The APRM-NPoA and the PRSP Processes Working
Together to Achieve the MDGs at the Sub-National
Level(Conference on the role of sub-national
jurisdictions in efforts to achieve the MDGs in
Africa , 7- 9 May 2009, Abuja, Nigeria) byKojo
BusiaChief, APRM Support UnitGovernance and
Public Administration DivisionUnited Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
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• Outline of Presentation
• I. How APRM - NPoA Overlaps with the PRSP and
  MDGs
• a. Process Level
• b. Content/Substantive Level
• II. Background to the African Peer Review
  Mechanism
• a. Continental Structures Processes
• b. National Structures and Processes
• c. Stages of the APRM CSAR, NPoA, M/E
• III. The APRM Value Added Strengthening
  Governance Processes
• a. Demand-Side Accountability the missing Link
• b. Domestic Accountability Processes at National
  and Sub-National Levels
• c. A Rights-Based Approach to MDGs?
• IV. The APRM Value Added Substance and Content
  of Country Reports
• a. Democratic Governance - decentralization and
  Service Delivery
• b. Economic Governance Fiscal Decentralization
• c. Socio-Economic Development Access to
  services and Rights-based issues
• d. Cross-Cutting Issues Systemic governance
  problems e.g. corruption, diversity management,
  electoral, land and gender.
• V. Conclusions and Recommendations

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• How APRM - NPoA Overlaps with the PRSP and MDGs
• PRSPs introduced in 1999 for HIPIC after SAPs
  MDGs introduced in 2000 to provide quantifiable,
  time-bound and long-term targets for global
  development agenda APRM introduced in 2002
  NEPADs self-monitoring tool to benchmark
  Africas performance in governance.
• A. Process Level
• Governance reforms proposed by all three
  processes and strategies PRSP Medium Term
  Strategy MDGs time-bound APRM-NPoA Medium-Term
  but repeated every three-years.
• Consultative Processes with Stakeholder
  Participation as primary requirement.
• 3. Institutional arrangements for monitoring and
  evaluation of results/impact at national and
  sub-regional levels although this has not been
  consistent across the board
• 4. Specific policy reforms with regards to
  fiscal, administrative and political
  decentralization to improve service delivery and
  the governance system as a whole.

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• B. Substantive Level
• MDGs provide a long-term strategy for PRSPs
  goals and mechanism for implementation.
• MDGs are overall consistent with PRSP objectives
  of social development.
• Five of Six APRM Objectives are directly linked
  to MDGs in the areas of Socio-economic dev.,
  economic and democratic governance, as well as
  corporate governance.
• The APRM methodology (objectives, questions and
  indicators) allows a rigorous review progress in
  achieving targets agreed upon by African and
  international goals, eg. MDGs.

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• II. Background to the African Peer Review
  Mechanism
• NEPAD principles of the APRM including national
  ownership and leadership, wide stakeholder
  participation and consultation, national
  consensus, transparent setting of priorities,
  collective monitoring of progress, peer learning
  of best practices and peer pressure for
  implementation. Considered as a unique approach
  in the world.
• a. Continental Structures and Processes
• The APRM process consists of five stages,
  namely
• Stage 1 Preparation of background materials,
  including the Country Self-Assessment Report
  (CSAR) and the National Program of Actions
  (NPoA)
• Stage 2 Country Review Mission
• Stage 3 Preparation of Report on Country
• Stage 4 Submission of Report to APR Panel and
  APR Forum of Heads of State Government for Peer
  Review
• Stage 5 The report is formally and publicly
  tabled at key regional and sub-regional
  institutions.

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• b. National Structures and Processes
• National Governing Council or Commission (CSOs,
  Govt. Private Sec.)
• National Focal Point (Minister or Presidency)
• National Technical Research Institutions (TRI)
• National APRM Secretariat
• National /Sub-national Stakeholder Workshops
• c. Stages of the APRM
• CSAR, NPoA, M/E and Cross-Cutting Issues
• CSAR based on the APR Questionnaire and Survey
  instruments
• NPoA Formulate and validate an NPoA building on
  existing policies, programs and projects.
• M/E monitoring the implementation of the NPoA
  and also other cross-cutting issues and reporting
  semi-annually to the APR Heads of States Forum

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• III. The APRM Value Added Strengthening
  Governance Processes
• A. Demand-Side Accountability
• APRM adds value by increasing the demand-side of
  accountability
• APRM institutes a formal monitoring and
  evaluation system that would reinforce policy
  performance and results.
• The APRM-NPoA provides for a citizens reporting
  card at the local, district, provincial and
  national levels and holds leaders accountable.
• CSOs use Budget-Monitoring Tools to track public
  expenditure for social services.
• B. Domestic Accountability
• The broad consultative framework and
  inclusiveness of stakeholders cultivating a
  culture of domestic accountability at the
  national level.

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• Domestic accountability contributes to processes
  through local institutional capacity is built
  over time.
• Domestic accountability strengthens the
  institutional framework of checks and balance
  including oversight functions of branches of
  government at local and national levels.
• C. Rights-Based Approach
• The level of popular participation,
  inclusiveness, non-discriminatory and ownership
  design of the APRM process is consistent with the
  right to development approach than any previous
  development approach in Africa
• The mechanism provides opportunities for African
  governments and civil society to review progress
  towards implementation of socio-economic rights
  of its citizens, particularly the rights of
  children, women, internally displaced and
  vulnerable groups all MDG goals.

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• APRM promotes demand-side accountability by
  empowering citizens (right-holders) to expect
  that governments (duty-bearers) act in the best
  interest the people.
• IV. The APRM Value Added Substance and Content
• Democratic Governance
• South Africa and Ghana cited as a models of
  constitutional democracy with strong electoral
  and Human Rights institutions.
• Constitutional framework for decentralization
  Ghana Local Govt. Service Act passed, but
  implementation slow.
• All countries have shortage capacity in the
  public sector, especially at the sub-national
  levels.
• b. Economic Governance
• Fiscal Decentralization e.g. Kenya Local Govt.
  Act. and District Dev. Plan.
• South Africa model of decentralization of power
  and resources through its cooperative
  governance framework of resource transfers to
  Provincial and Local Government entities.

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• c. Socio-Economic Development
• Access to basic social services South Africa
  has
• most progressive legislative and policy
  framework for water and electricity
• services Constitutional framework for
  justiciable individual and group rights.
• Access to Education by the girl child Rwanda
  cited as best practice Kenyas free education
  policy has implemented a school mapping project
  to determine location of nations schools and
  access
• Access to Health services Rwanda promotion to
  right to health
• Social and spatial inequality Kenya ranked as
  one of the most unequal societies in World South
  Africa also has urban-rural LG inequalities
  Ghana has North-South disparities in terms of
  services and incidence of poverty.
• Progress towards gender equity and broad-based
  participation of citizens - Rwanda cited as a
  model of female representation in Parliament
  South Africa with progressive gender equity
  policy and participatory governance in general.

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• d. Cross-Cutting Issues Systemic Governance
  Problems
• Managing Diversity ethnic, religious, cultural,
  linguistic a challenge to all African
  countries. Approaches include Unitary and Federal
  constitutional mechanisms sustainable solutions
  in constitutional reforms and comprehensive
  policy frameworks
• Corruption political and economic undermines
  accountability, transparency, justice, human
  rights and economic development in general.
• Land centrality to economic development and
  poverty alleviation. Lack of comprehensive policy
  framework for land and resource management in
  most African countries.

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• VII. Conclusions and Recommendations
• African countries participating in the APRM
  should integrate NPoA with PRSP and MDG
  monitoring frameworks (Harmonizing program
  cycles)
• Sub-National M/E plans should use demand-side and
  social accountability mechanisms.
• Capacity building for decentralization should
  include demand-side and not just supply-side
  approaches.
• APRM has proven that larger macro-political and
  systemic issues constitutions, land access,
  electoral processes, cannot be ignored.

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Thank you for your attention!