Accra, Ghana – While donors and governments are seeking to monitor the progress of the Paris Declaration (PD) at the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness this week, civil society leaders are looking for broader and deeper reforms on aid.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) are in unison in highlighting the failure of aid to effectively deliver progress to communities around the world, as explained in the 2008 Reality of Aid Report on Aid Effectiveness: Democratic Ownership and Human Rights.
The 2008 Report, published by the Reality of Aid (RoA) Network, gathers evidence and experiences of CSOs and people’s organizations working in the forefront of development policies on the present reality of aid, as well as forwards some proposals and directions for reforms.
The report cites the continuing practice of donors to impose conditionalities on their aid to developing countries, and this has prevented communities to assert their right to development.
“Democratic ownership continues to be undermined and poor and discriminated communities remain marginalized from decisions and resources that might improve their lives,” Brian Tomlinson, Vice Chairperson of RoA says.
Thus, the report strongly endorses that donors and governments agree on an Accra Agenda of Action. This agenda is expected to set in motion ambitious initiatives over the next two years to deepen the commitments of all aid players to aid reform beyond the PD.
“Among the practical reforms being forwarded by CSOs is that all aid actors must set an agenda for a visionary High-Level Forum IV in 2011 that would include CSOs as equal development partners, and enshrine human rights, social justice, gender equality and environment at the heart of aid effectiveness,” asserts Antonio Tujan Jr., Chairperson of RoA.
The Reality of Aid 2008 Report will be officially launched on September 1 during the CSO Parallel Forum on Aid Effectiveness.
Contact Person: Brian Tomlinson at btomlinson@ccic.ca Mobile Number: 0240300418
Antonio A. Tujan Jr. at atujan@ibon.org Mobile Number: 0247478663
The Reality of Aid Management Committee: Antonio Tujan, Jr. (Chairperson) ● Brian Tomlinson (Vice Chairperson) ● Meja Vitalice (Representing African CSO partners) ● Ruben Fernandez (Representing Latin American CSO partners) ● Lucy Hayes (Representing European country CSO partners) ● Reality of Aid Secretariat (Representing Asia-Pacific CSO partners)