Asia Pacific Consultation on Building Regional Evidence for the First High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development

CooperationSeoul, 10-11 March 2014

South-South Cooperation in the PacificPacific Islands helping each other through

peer reviews

• Forum Compact and Pacific Peer Review Mechanism • Experience so far & Next Steps – attachments• Effectiveness & Lessons Learned from Peer Reviews• South-south cooperation & post 2015 development

agenda

Outline

• 2009 Pacific Leaders Commitment - Forum Compact. Seek Pacific solutions to help improve the use of BOTH domestic and aid resources to accelerate achievement of the MDGs

• Peer Reviews focus on strengthening country systems, institutions and policies for national planning, budgeting, public financial and aid management primarily through peer to peer learning and knowledge sharing

Forum Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination: Political commitment & mandate to improving development cooperation in the Pacific

• Government systems & processes of national planning, budgeting, public financial management systems ;and Aid management systems and processes

• Development partners systems and processes of engaging with governments implementing their commitments to Paris and Pacific Principles of Aid Effectiveness

Focus of Peer Reviews: on What and with Who

• Executive of Government – Prime Ministers/Presidents, Ministers of Finance, Planning and Foreign Affairs

• Legislature - Speakers of Parliament, Public Accounts Committees

• Senior Government Officials• Development partners,• NGOs and private sector

representatives

What peer reviews focus on WHO are consulted

Country volunteers to undertake a peer review

Country chooses a team of up to 5 peer reviewers (3 partner country reps and 2 reps from development partners).

Country agrees on TOR with their Peer Review Team& Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

Country approves final Peer Review Report

Country implements recommendations with support of development partners & monitors annually with PIFS

How Peer Reviews Work

Purpose is to be “helpful” – to hold a conversation as equals, as Pacific neighbours and not an “interrogation” or finding faults.

Find out what works well and what does not and promote this for regional learning

Offer helpful advise/possible solutions based on other country experiences in the Pacific but tailored to country realities

Country Led and Driven Peer Review Team works in partnership with host country

40 peer reviewers (Cook Islands, FSM, Nauru, Niue, PNG, RMI, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand, UN, UNDP, UNESCAP, World Bank)

Consulted with over 4,000 Pacific stakeholders 168 recommendations across 12 countries 80%

focus on strengthening planning & aid management

Experience So Far -

2010Nauru, Kiribati

2011VanuatuTuvaluNiue

2012RMITongaPNGFSM

2013PalauSolomon Islands Cook IslandsSamoa

WHY? • Ongoing capacity constraints across the Pacific especially in

most SIS and others.• Overwhelming demand from Pacific countries for practical

learning through attachments & mentoring to support implementation of peer review recommendations

• Significant good practices and technical capacity in some Pacific countries that can be shared and put to good use for the benefit of the rest of the FICs and region

Pacific-Pacific Attachments - Twinning

• Countries are using peer review recommendations to:– Reaffirm, support and drive already planned and needed country

reforms to strengthen planning, budgeting, PFM and aid management – Drive needed changes in development partner behaviour regarding aid

fragmentation, budget support, aid predictability and use of country systems

– Mobilize development partner support for strengthening systems of planning, budgeting, PFM, aid management

• Development partners using peer review recommendations to – Guide their engagement in strengthening country systems– Lobby with other development partners for more coherent support to

Pacific countries

Effectiveness of Peer Reviews - Addressing Country Challenges

• Respect for country sovereignty, ownership • Non intrusive, non confronting approach.

– Country to Country partnerships– Balanced approach to promoting good practice

• Focus on “actions-solutions” rather on the challenges• Solidarity

– Collective voice on advocating good practice and behaviour change

• Credibility of the Process – Interest and access to political leadership– High level technical expertise– Inclusive ownership and engagement

Key features of Peer Reviews: Lessons Learned and Impact

• From the Pacific’s experience, SSC in development coordination can help build country systems, institutions and capacities in a practical, relevant and meaningful way to implement and deliver the post 2015 development agenda.

SSC in Post-2015 development framework