Last-ditch diplomacy yields better aid agenda

Accra, Sept. 5, GNA - Last-minute negotiations pushed by developing countries and European ministers at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness have secured commitments to improve international aid. The world will now be watching to ensure all donors implement the "Accra Agenda for Action" and go further to make aid more responsive to the priorities of developing

countries, said international agency Oxfam in a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday.

"The stage is set for important improvements in the way aid is delivered. But the Accra Agenda needs to be backed by urgent action if it is to live up to its name. It won't have any impact on the lives of people living in poverty unless its promise is put them into practice," said Oxfam International head of delegation, Mr Robert Fox.

"This agreement must be a floor, not a ceiling. We encourage all donors to go further in accelerating the pace of reform. Oxfam knows that when aid

is delivered well, it brings real results for women and men living in poverty. If governments north and south match their words with action, we could see real progress in tackling poverty," said Mr Fox. The Accra accord calls for donors to make longer-term aid commitments and sets a new target for donors to deliver aid through developing countries' own systems.

This will be a challenge for donors, said Oxfam, citing a recent survey showing only 46 per cent of aid went through recipient country systems. It also includes measures to make aid more accountable. "We are pleased to see a stronger commitment to transparency, showing what donors fund and how recipients spend," said Mr Fox. "And we welcome the recognition that citizens and their organizations have a vital role in defining development priorities and holding governments to account."