WNAD PRSP Learning Event

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WNAD PRSP Learning Event

• West and North Africa Department
• January 2002

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WNAD PRSP Learning Event
I. Background PRSP principles and the role of
participation
II. Challenges and Opportunities in supporting
participatory processes
III. Ways forward for DFID engagement
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Origins of the PRSP Idea

• Poor record on poverty reduction in 1990s
• Findings on aid effectiveness (limits of
  projects,
• undermining of govt. systems capacity)
• Limits of conventional conditionality
• Justification for big increase in multilateral
• funding for debt relief (HIPC II)

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Core PRSP Principles
Sept. 1999 the PRSP replaced the PFP (Policy
Framework Paper) as the governing contract
between the IMF/World Bank client countries.
Central to it are five principles

• Country-led/owned based on participation
• Outcome oriented
• Comprehensive analysis of poverty
• Medium to long term perspective
• Donor partnership under government leadership

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PRSP Schedule Key Elements
Preparation Status Report
1st Annual Progress Report
2nd Annual Progress Report etc..
I-PRSP
PRSP (I)
PRSP (II)
9-24 months
3 years
HIPC(II) Completion Point
HIPC(II) Decision Point
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1st Annual Progress Report
Preparation Status Report
2nd Annual Progress Report etc.
I-PRSP
PRSP (I)
PRSP (II)

• PRSP elements
• Poverty analysis
• Goals/targets
• Policy actions
• Med-term budget fw
• Financing plan
• External assistance
• Participatory process

3 years
9-24 months
HIPC(II) Decision Point
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Whats New?

• Linking strategy to the fiscal macro framework
• Reducing the disconnect between policy
• results (structuring actions viz. impact on
  poverty)
• Opening up strategy process to broad-based
• participation
• Opportunities for new ways of delivering aid
• (pooled funding of general budget, joint
  appraisal,
• common performance assessment)

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Expectations about Participation

• Participation can help deliver broad-based
• ownership strengthen accountability where
• poverty is related to weak governance
• Policies more likely to succeed if their choice
• is influenced by civil society consultation
  voices
• of the poor
• Participation can help alter the power balance
• between governments and donors

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But

• Participation in the dev. of national policy
• for poverty reduction is relatively
  newuncharted
• territory for some (finance ministries etc.)
• Different actors hold different understandings
  of
• what participation can achieve in relation to
• poverty reduction or policy making
• Confusion over participation as mandatory
• calls for greater national ownership

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Recent Experience

• Participatory processes have taken a broadly
• similar format working groups/national wkshps
• Participation has generally been limited to
• consultation with only limited feedback
• Some opening of the policy space
• Strong CS advocacy on key themes gender,
• inequality, HIV/AIDs but nothing on macro-
• economic policy

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Areas of Value-Added

• CS lobbying has improved the process e.g. Kenya
• consultations exceeded expectations despite
  weak
• political commitment from the top Malawi
  process
• was extended
• Cameroon/Chad Govt. officials consulting
  directly with
• communities, possibly for the first time
• Rwanda extensive consultations crucial part of
  
• reconciliation efforts

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But weaknesses too

• Tanzania process rushed, CSOs attempted
  parallel
• process but weak impact on final PRSP
• Ghana PRSP process treated lightly CSOs
  poorly
• galvanised (compared to SAPRI)
• Kampala Declaration consortium of NGOs
  critical of
• PRSP framework restricted form of
  participation
• Mali la société civil, cest Moi!
  President of the
• National Assembly

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Conclusions

• Where Govt. already keen to foster CS
• participation in policy processes, PRSP
  processes
• have strengthened it left actors on all sides
  
• better equipped (Uganda)
• Elsewhere the risk is that poorly conducted
• consultative processes, with ambivalent
  outcomes,
• will undermine chances that a more
  participatory
• culture will develop (Mozambique?)

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Obstacles

• Participation is just a process, de-linked from
• analysis decision-making
• Participation is an intrusion to/ undermines
• existing democratic processes
• Capacity weaknesses and conflicts within CS
• Donors as brokers of participation

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DFID Engagement

• DFID support more consistent than many other
• donors, largely supportive/mediating rather
  than
• interventionist
• Supports efforts to coordinate harmonise
• approaches to participation
• Working to strengthen both sides (CS and Govt.)
• to engage with each other (avoid donor as
• broker)

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Examples

• Kenya SAIC CS Adviser seconded to PRSP
  Secretariat
• Tanzania funding for CSOs to strengthen
  poverty policy
• work
• Tanzania/Uganda popularising
  PRSP/dissemination
• Mozambique work with like-minded donor group
  on how
• to strengthen CS participation in PRSP
  implementation
• monitoring
• Zambia providing information, analysis funds
  for
• Regional networking
• Ethiopia supporting public debate through
  funding of
• NGOs and assisting coordination of CS response
  to PRSP