Memorandum submitted by Muslim Aid
COORDINATION FOR AID EFFECTIVENESS INQUIRY
SUMMARY
In the opinion of Muslim Aid the evidence from
the field in Indonesia and Somalia leads to the following broad
conclusions:
1. It is vital to the delivery of effective
aid that donors and governments engage, coordinate and consult
with civil society organisations (CSO) and the beneficiaries with
whom CSOs often have privileged access.
2. The political context in which aid is
implemented effects the nature of the coordination required. Muslim
Aid's experience in Somalia, for example, demonstrates that in
the absence of a single stable governing authority the humanitarian
imperative demands that civil society coordinates with those who
have authority on the ground.
3. Local government authorities should be
more actively engaged to promote better coordination, alongside
central government.
4. There are very practical ways in which
aid can better reflect grassroots needs, such as the importance
of good translation facilities to ensure beneficiary needs are
really understood at the earliest possible stage of project design.
5. Muslim Aid recommend that DfID consider
facilitating coordination between the agencies they fund by assigning
responsibility to one NGO with a presence in the UK and the field.
INTRODUCTION TO
MUSLIM AID
1. Muslim Aid is a UK based international
relief and development NGO established in 1985 and working in
74 countries through its 11 field offices in Bangladesh, Bosnia,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia,
Sri Lanka and Sudan. Muslim Aid is a signatory to the IFRC's (International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies') code of conduct
of NGOs in Disaster Relief; member of BOND (British Overseas NGOs
for Development) and member of ECHO (European Commission for Humanitarian
Organisation).
2. Muslim Aid's work is grounded in the
ethos of beneficiary-led development which puts the values of
compassion, justice and dignity of our beneficiaries at the centre
of our work. This was demonstrated by the way local communities
helped ensure that in our post-tsunami work, the most vulnerable
people were selected for support. Organisations such as Panglima
Laot, a fishermen's association in Aceh and local elders worked
together with Muslim Aid to develop a fair and open selection
process. The local community was also involved in finding suitable
building sites, employing contractors and monitoring progress
of the build. Beneficiaries took part in the reconstruction process
from the start—working alongside local and international
organisations to monitor the build process at weekly progress
meetings.
3. Muslim Aid has been working in Indonesia
since 2005 through its established field office. We now have a
staff of 103 across Indonesia in one Field Office, three sub-field
offices, and seven site offices, except for three the rest are
recruited from the local community. We have sub-offices in Jakarta,
Yogyakarta, Padang and Field Office in Bande Aceh.
4. Muslim Aid Indonesia is working in the
field of poverty eradication (budget £500,000), the provision
of clean and safe drinking water (budget £1,500,000), drainage
(budget £2,500,000), sanitation (budget £1,000,000),
capacity building for civil society and government (budget £1,000,000),
orphan care (budget £500,000) and health (budget £1,000,000).
Emergency relief is a continuing need as Indonesia, located in
the ring of fire is prone to many natural disasters like earthquakes
as well as floods and landslides. Muslim Aid is active in providing
emergency relief as well as community-based disaster preparedness
and risk reduction for risk-prone communities throughout the country
(budget £1,500,000). Donor-funded projects we have implemented
in Indonesia included a £2.5 million reconstruction projects
with Oxfam in which we worked with local people to build homes
to their design and specification. The American Red Cross provided
water and sanitation infrastructure.
5. Our work in Indonesia has been widely
acknowledged and supported by governments and the non-governmental
development community as follows:
World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Multi Donor
Fund, UN-OCHA, UNDP, UNICEF, International Organisation for Migration
(IOM), Qatar Charity, The Glastonbury Trust, DEC/Oxfam, AusAID,
AusCare, NZAid, Global Medic, The International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the American Red
Cross, Handicap International, CHF International, the Ministry
of Social Welfare, the Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction
Agency (BRR), Indonesian NGOs, the Governor of Aceh, the Provincial
Governments of Jakarta, Aceh, West Sumatra, Bengkul, Central Java,
East Java and Yogyakarta.
6. Muslim Aid set up a field office in Mogadishu,
Somalia in 1993 and opened a branch office in Kismayo in 1994.
During the first few years Muslim Aid focused on providing emergency
relief to those suffering as a result of conflict and famine.
From the end of 1994 onwards, Muslim Aid started to implement
long term development programmes in addition to its relief work.
We currently work in the following sectors: emergency relief,
education and skills, health, economic empowerment, child support
and water and sanitation.
7. We have two sub-offices in both Puntland
and Somaliland and are dealing with an increasing number of IDPs
in these two semi-autonomous regions. In one particular area,
namely Puntland, we are also dealing with human trafficking problems
where many IDPs are trying to cross the Gulf of Aden with small
boats which often do not reach their destination. We are also
dealing with those who are fleeing from the recent fighting between
the Government troops backed by Ethiopians and the insurgents
in Mogadishu. The number of these IDPs is estimated to be 600,000
and they are still fleeing.
8. After the Tsunami, Muslim Aid Somalia
worked with Oxfam / DEC to assist 5,700 beneficiaries, build 60
permanent houses in Hafun and Garacad and provide 80 fishing boats
and other fishing equipment.
9. Muslim Aid works with over 20 local organisations
to develop and deliver projects. In addition we have worked with
the following international partners: WFP, WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNISOM,
UNSECO, Oxfam, DEC, Care International, NOVIB, AIDFUND, AL-IMDAAD,
ICNA, Helping Hands USA.
EVIDENCE FROM
INDONESIA
10. Ownership
Muslim Aid is a part of the economic advisory
team to the Governor of Aceh for its long-term development strategy
which is one of the seven teams advising the Governor on his Government's
Transformation of the Government of Aceh. Muslim Aid, as other
NGOs, worked within the BRR (Local Government) framework for the
tsunami emergency and is now working with the Government in its
efforts to set up a National Disaster Management Agency and with
the Ministry of Social Welfare on social welfare projects. Involvement
in these two processes by CSOs provides greater depth to the ownership
of development strategies as Muslim Aid, for example, is able
to ensure grassroots' needs are reflected.
For Muslim Aid, ownership by the local government
and the beneficiaries themselves rather than just central government
is more significant.
11. Alignment
Indonesia's reform programme seems to have stalled
and corruption requires further interventions to ensure it is
eliminated. Muslim Aid's projects and programmes are aligned to
country's national priorities.
As part of Muslim Aid's commitment to assist
the government and the communities, Muslim Aid has planned to
deliver a capacity building training programme for the government's
financial sector managers in Aceh for effective and efficient
distribution of resources to the communities.
12. Harmonisation
Muslim Aid has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
concerning cooperation in social welfare development.
The cluster approach in emergencies worked well
in Yogyakarta but at the recovery phase there is less coordination
between NGOs. In Aceh there are seven different NGOs, UN Agencies
and international agencies advising the Governor on economic development
with no coordination between them.
The lead role of the United Nations in the cluster
approach is problematic in some cases because the UN system is
deeply compromised by the influence on policy by the major powers
and the Security Council membership.
13. Managing for Results
In Aceh most housing donors wanted to work only
in contiguous areas and found it difficult to work with communities
where the needs were widely dispersed. Muslim Aid has approached
this by ensuring that the communities are dealt with and individuals
and their needs are specifically addressed. Muslim Aid treated
them as clients. With the concept of ensuring full community participation
and consultation at all stages of the project, not only land verification
but design and monitoring.
14. Mutual Accountability
Accountability to beneficiaries is an important
element of Muslim Aid's programmes. Muslim Aid carries out a post-intervention
survey on all its programmes.
One problem is related to language in Aceh many
local NGOs and government officials did not participate in cluster
meetings in Yogyakarta or Working Groups in Aceh due to language
problems. This could have been solved by having on hand simultaneous
translation facilities.
EVIDENCE FROM
SOMALIA
15. Ownership
In a country ruined by the civil wars the nation
des not have a well-set development strategy with priorities linked
to a medium-term expenditure framework and reflected in annual
budgets. In Muslim Aid's provision of services such as health
and education, ownership is a major part of our community approach
so that the community ensures the suitability of any implemented
project.
16. Alignment
Muslim Aid works with authorities, other donors
and communities in implementing its programmes to avoid parallel
projects addressing the same objectives. In the context of Somalia,
although there is some degree of cooperation and collaboration,
as the country has been without a central functional government
for quite some time except the last few years, Muslim Aid Somalia
usually implements its plans in line with assessed needs and with
community and local authority consultations.
17. Harmonisation
Muslim Aid Somalia has an annual programme plan
that includes joint programmes with other donors and projects
implemented by Muslim Aid alone.
18. Managing for results
Muslim Aid Somalia selects the most vulnerable
and marginalized communities by working in close collaboration
with the relevant authorities particularly at local level. Gender
balance, impartiality, true needs- based approach and transparency
are also vital for effective aid delivery.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
19. DfID could consider facilitating coordination
between agencies funded by DfID on the ground and the work with
local partners.
20. DfID may consider assigning coordination
responsibility to one of the NGOs working in the field and having
its offices in UK as well.
21. The coordination agency (NGO) under
DfID's mandate can ensure that aid is effectively delivered to
the communities.
February 2008
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