UNDP WATCH: AidWatch capacity building workshops, Vienna, 23-25 February 2011

AidWatch members and other European NGOs met in Vienna from 23 to 25 February for two capacity building seminars – one on aid statistics analysis and one on advocacy with governments and EU Institutions. The aid statistics training on 23 February was kindly provided by Development Initiatives/aidinfo and included a general introduction on the creditor reporting system, the International Aid Transparency Initiative and aid flows to countries affected by conflict. The second seminar on advocacy was a follow-up to a seminar held in May 2010 in Paris on how to engage with Parliaments.

Please find below the presentations made during the seminars and some additional resources:

23 February:

General introduction on aid statistics and the creditor reporting system by Judith Randel (Development Initiatives)

Presentation by Victoria Room (aidinfo) on the International Aid Transparency Initiative

Presentation by Lydia Poole (Global Humanitarian Assistance) on aid flows to countries affected by conflict

Presentation by Mark Brough (Publish What You Fund) on the aid transparency tracker

24 February:

Presentation by Bernhard Drumel (Supporting Change) on advocacy

Presentation by Morten Emil Hansen (CONCORD Denmark) on advocacy

Presentation by Iacopo Viciani (ActionAid Italy) on aid and development effectiveness

25 February

Presentation by Romina Vegro (BOND) on the new EU institutional framework

Presentation by Michaela Ellmeier (Austrian MFA) on the new EU institutional framework

Presentation by Ola Bello (FRIDE) on think tanks in development

Presentation by Liz Steele (Publish What You Fund) on transparency

Additional materials:

Report by Global Humanitarian Assistance on resource flows to Afghanistan

Oxfam report on politicising aid in conflict and crisis

BetterAid position papers

AidWatch position paper on transparency

AidWatch briefing on ODA levels in 2011

Monitoring Climate Financing Architecture (Briefing Note by Development Initiatives)

BetterAid lobby letter for national platforms

Paticipation list, agendas and evaluation:

Participants list AidWatch capacity building seminars in Vienna, 23-25 February 2011

Agenda: Aid Quantity Analysis, 23 February 2011

Agenda: Advocacy towards European Governments and EU Institutions, 24-25 February 2011

Summary of the evaluation of the seminars by participants

Andrew Mitchell - says Helen Clark is up to no good!

1. UNDP’s partnership with the World Bank needs to be more effective, particularly in fragile and crisis-affected countries. 2. UNDP’s near universal mandate means its technical resources are spread very thinly. The Board does not provide strategic direction. HR management is weak. It has a weak results chain. 3. There is limited evidence of active senior management consideration of cost control. Country evidence points to mixed progress on demonstrating cost-efficiency. 4. The Executive Board is politicised and there is a lack of consensus on the key areas for reform. It is not clear that current plans for change will deliver the required depth and breadth of reform. 5. Evidence gathered at country level was highly critical of UNDP’s ability to deliver results. Its delivery can be undermined by staffing issues and bureaucratic processes. 6. Its performance in fragile states is mixed. It has reasonable training and a range of guidance and analytical tools but struggles to fill posts. 7. There is no evidence that the Climate Strategy was directly guiding resource allocation decisions

H.E. Dirk Niebel - German Development Minister

"I take the accusations made in the media concerning corruption and breach of fiduciary duty at the Global Fund very seriously and I am sure that the Fund will clarify the matter without delay. Germany is one of the biggest donors to the Global Fund. I have therefore seen to it that a special review will be held. I have frozen all further disbursements to the Fund until matters have been fully clarified, and I will ask a representative of the Fund to come to the BMZ to discuss the matter."

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