OECD Development Assistance Peer Reviews: Germany 2010

Five different member countries are peer reviewed each year. The aim is to assess the extent to which the development policies, strategies and activities of the reviewed country meet the standards set by the DAC. Members provide constructive criticism and recommendations based on a report that touches on aid policies, volumes, institutions and field operations.



There are no sanctions if the country fails to take the recommendations on board. The exercise is meant to encourage positive change, support mutual learning and raise the overall effectiveness of aid throughout the donor community.

Table of contents
The DAC’s main findings and recommendations
Secretariat report
Chapter 1 Strategic orientations
Germany’s development co-operation during a period of global crisis
Germany’s development co-operation system
Germany’s strategic framework for development co-operation
Rejuvenated drive and vision for one of the world’s largest donors
The legal and strategic framework
Regional and country strategies – fewer partner countries
A new strategy for multilateral aid
Cross-cutting issues: gender equality, environment and climate change
Communicating and building public awareness and accountability
Future considerations
Chapter 2 Policy coherence for development
The need for strategic cross-governmental goals
The need to strengthen whole-of-government approaches
A government-wide framework for policy coherence
Increasing BMZ’s capacity and strategic competence for PCD
Progress on inter-ministerial co-operation and whole-of-government approaches
Persistent problems in monitoring, analysing and reporting on PCD
Looking forward: the “beyond aid” agenda for the whole German government
Future considerations
Chapter 3 Aid volumes, channels and allocations
Aid volumes: Germany is off-track for meeting its commitments
Continued commitment to scaling up despite missing the 2010 ODA target
Germany’s ODA by government department
Bilateral assistance: 140 countries benefit from Germany’s ODA
Germany’s aid continues to be spent mainly on middle income countries.
The focus on sub-Saharan Africa needs to be intensified
Germany’s resource allocation approach should be adjusted
Composition of Germany’s ODA
Aid instruments and modalities
Sector allocations and thematic spending
Non-governmental channels for development co-operation
Multilateral assistance
Future considerations
Chapter 4 Organisation and management
The German development co-operation system
Germany’s fragmented institutional arrangements: some strengths, but many weaknesses
Ways forward for reforming Germany’s development co-operation system
Engaging with civil society organisations
Co-ordination with other federal ministries and federal states
Parliamentary oversight of Germany’s development co-operation
Evaluation of impact
Future considerations
Chapter 5 Aid effectiveness
Germany’s commitment to the international aid effectiveness agenda
Germany’s Plan of Operations for implementing the Paris Declaration
Germany’s performance against the Paris Declaration indicators
Ownership
Alignment with and use of country strategies and systems
Harmonisation
Managing for development results
Untying aid
Emerging challenges for effective aid
Future considerations
Chapter 6 Special issues
Capacity development
Concepts, strategic orientations and practices
Capacity development in practice
Contributions to the international policy debate
Future considerations
Environment and climate change
A long-standing strategic priority
A lead role in the international community
Operational approaches to environment and climate change
Aid for the environment
Partnership between BMZ and BMU and Germany’s International Climate Initiative
Increased capacities for environment and climate change
Disaster risk reduction and management
Future considerations
Annex A Progress since the 2005 recommendations
Annex B OECD/DAC Standard Suite of Tables
Annex C Germany and the Good Humanitarian Donorship Initiative
Annex D Field Visit Report: Morocco and Zambia
Description of key terms
Bibliography