APPENDIX 15
Memorandum submitted by Michael Hubbard,
University of Birmingham
1. The organisation of British development
aid has taken strides forward since 1997. It has achieved greater
focus, greater collaboration with other donors, a clearer voice
and clearer commitment to the interests of aid recipients—by
undertaking to untie aid, raise it as a proportion of UK GDP,
and to increase the proportion spent in developing countries.
2. Perhaps it is in light of the progress
that has been achieved that the new White Paper disappoints. It
is a set of wishes for the world with ideas for what needs to
be done. This should be exciting. But it's difficult to find much
exciting or new in it. Perhaps because it's a distillation of
a consensus, repeating—sometimes well, sometimes less well—what
has already been said by World Bank, UNDP, ILO, UNICEF and others.
3. Mutual repetition of development mantras
may be important for maintaining consensus among international
agencies. But a White Paper should be aimed above all at the UK
public. It should candidly and informatively indicate achievements,
failings and learnings by the agency, and on the basis of these
set out medium term objectives and a broad indication of how it
will allocate its resources to achieve them. The White Paper does
set out broad goals for DFID ("Key Policy Commitments for
DFID") but chasing each through the recently published strategy
papers doesn't produce further detail. Nowhere is there an attempt
to prioritise DFID's resource use against these goals, or to review
DFID's achievements relative to the 1997 White Paper's objectives.
Ironically this White Paper is likely to be remembered for containing
a policy commitment to raise the proportion of UK aid spent in
developing countries and to untie UK aid—a political decision
which did not require this volume for its launch.
4. Suggestions:
— There is a lot of overlap and repetition
in the published output of development agencies. More collaboration
(eg joint publications) could generate greater depth and breadth
of coverage. DFID could take a lead through its increasing involvement
with multilateral agencies to encourage such collaboration
— The balance in future White Papers
on development should swing away from overall discussion of development
challenges towards a more substantial analysis of DFID's performance
and role.
Michael Hubbard
January 2001
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