Effective aid programming must be centered on improving the mechanisms by which critical resources are distributed, especially as it contributes to the sustainable development of poor, underdeveloped countries. The Paris Declaration aspires to make aid better. According to the OECD, “the Paris Declaration lays down a practical, action-orientated roadmap to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development.”

As noted, in “Turning the Tables, Aid and Accountability under the Paris Framework,” the 2008 publication, “The Paris Declaration is welcome, and is an important step towards establishing a progressive international consensus on aid. However, the Declaration is not sufficient to make aid work in the long term – both donors and recipients need to go further.”

There is a critical need for collaboration in creating aid that establishes “progressive international consensus,” as called for in the Paris framework. Equally important is a commitment toward creating systems that ensure fiscal management while empowering aid recipients to manage programs effectively within their communities and in perpetuity.

Recipient governments need to be trained in improving their public accountability while clamping down on corruption, particularly as more funding – ultimately meant to reach the recipients on the ground – is channeled through their systems.

To read more about aid effectiveness, please see our publication,aid effectiveness approach in grassroots development.

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