Addressing the poverty needs of
poor countries
5. At the country level, the Department develops
plans to determine the focus and nature of its aid programme.
In producing country plans, the Department seeks to balance its
high level objectives of contributing towards the Millennium Development
Goals with the specific needs of individual countries.[18]
The Department is increasingly seeking to support host governments
in their implementation of national poverty reduction strategies,
and thus align the focus of its support with the poverty priorities
of partner countries.[19]
The level of the Department's support in any sector within a
country is also influenced by the extent of involvement of other
donors. It does not operate in all sectors in all countries but
assesses whether it has any specific knowledge or experience in
the sector which would give a comparative advantage over other
donors. It seeks to achieve an effective use of resources by focussing
its assistance in sectors in which it judges it will have greatest
impact.[20]
6. The Department has staff dedicated to managing
its assistance in individual countries and it is the responsibility
of these teams to propose where and how resources should be spent.
The focus of the Department's assistance is based primarily on
the country's own poverty priorities.[21]
In countries, such as India and Uganda, where improving access
to water has been prioritised by the government, the Department
ensures that this is reflected in its country plan. Improving
access to water and sanitation has been afforded a lower level
of priority in some countries, including some which have the lowest
levels of access to water.[22]
In these countries, other poverty needs are given a higher priority;
for example, humanitarian issues are paramount in conflict-affected
countries such as Afghanistan and Ethiopia and, in others, the
provision of healthcare and education facilities is considered
to be a higher priority.[23]
7. The Department employs experts in individual sectors
to determine the focus of its assistance in each country, to manage
projects and liaise with key stakeholders. These experts draw
upon their knowledge of the country circumstance to design aid
programmes and projects that address local needs. But varying
use has been made of detailed assessments of water need to determine
where needs are greatest within countries and to identify opportunities
for Departmental involvement. For example, in Uganda a country-level
assessment of water needs was last carried out in 1998 and in
Ghana, no assessment has been undertaken since 1995.[24]
It is not always necessary for the Department to carry out such
assessments themselves and reliance can be placed upon assessments
carried out by other donors, non-government organisations or the
host government.
8. The availability of relevant expertise in country
teams is a key factor in ensuring that the Department's assistance
is relevant to country needs. It is important in developing an
understanding of the country's needs and forming a good working
relationship with government officials.[25]
The Department does not employ advisors from all disciplines in
every country office. The advisory skill mix is adapted to reflect
country priorities; for example, the Tanzania country office
is shortly to get a statistical adviser as the generation of poverty
data has become increasingly important. As water is a relatively
low priority in many Departmental country programmes, there is
not always a water or engineering adviser resident in country
teams and, in such cases, it is more difficult to ensure that
the water needs of that country are given due consideration in
country planning.[26]
The Department has expertise available at the centre which can
be drawn on by country teams if there is a need to become involved
in the water sector[27]
but limited use was made of such expertise.[28]
9. One of the Department's key philosophies is to
work as part of the wider international effort to support countries
in achieving their poverty targets[29]
as it recognises that a collective donor effort is more effective
than isolated and uncoordinated donor contributions.[30]
This requires a good understanding of the input of other bodies
in the country and the Department seeks to work in partnership
with key donors and non-government organisations. In some countries,
such as South Africa, the host government co-ordinates donor contributions
towards the country's water needs under a single plan. In Uganda,
the Department is participating in the development of a joint
sector-wide approach with other donors. But sector-wide approaches
are not common in the water sector and in some countries there
was scope for wider co-ordination between the bodies active in
the sector.[31]
Making better use of research
10. The Department spends more than £100 million
per annum on development-oriented research, of which some £3 million
is on water-related research. The aim is to generate better knowledge
to guide the Department and the wider development community in
tackling development issues.[32]
The Department uses a wide range of methods to disseminate research
results but there is scope to improve uptake further and explore
how the potential benefits can be realised.[33]
The main reasons for a lack of uptake included low awareness of
research amongst potential users; scepticism about the applicability
of research; a lack of funding to assist in the adoption of research;
and unclear lines of responsibility.[34]
2 C&AG's Report, para 2 Back
3
Q 3 Back
4
Q 6 Back
5
C&AG's Report, para 17 Back
6
C&AG's Report, para 17 Back
7
C&AG's Report, para 2.7 Back
8
ibid, para 3.5 Back
9
Q 29 Back
10
HC Deb, 28 January 2003, cols 38WS-40WS [Commons written statement] Back
11
Q 30 Back
12
Q 38 Back
13
HC Deb, 28 January 2003, cols 38WS-40WS [Commons written statement] Back
14
C&AG's Report, para 3.2 Back
15
Q 97 Back
16
Q 95 Back
17
Q 96 Back
18
C&AG's Report, para 15 Back
19
Q 12 Back
20
C&AG's Report, para 2.18 Back
21
Q 12 Back
22
Q 80 Back
23
Q 66 Back
24
C&AG's Report, para 2.19 Back
25
ibid, para 2.21 Back
26
ibid, para 2.21 Back
27
Q 13 Back
28
C&AG's Report, para 2.21 Back
29
ibid, para 2.22 Back
30
Q 80 Back
31
C&AG's Report, para 2.20 Back
32
C&AG's Report, para 18 Back
33
Q 56 Back
34
C&AG's Report, para 3.11 Back