International Partnership

Back to Capacity Development Home Page

News and Publications | Partners | Key Outputs and Initiatives

Assisting donors and partner countries in implementing the capacity development priorities of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA)

Donors and partner countries regard capacity development as a primary objective of their development co-operation policies and strategies. However, many have experienced difficulties in operationalising the concept at the field level.

The current DAC programme on capacity development aims to:

• Consolidate and disseminate learning on existing capacity development approaches and good practices;
• Support donors, partner countries, and other interested parties to shape and use a common agenda of priority capacity development actions.

The DAC Secretariat has begun collaboration with member countries and relevant partners toward a more co-ordinated effort in capacity development, with the primary objective of helping to implement the capacity development priorities of the Accra Agenda for Action through the next High Level Forum in 2011. Based on its analysis of the AAA agenda, the DAC Secretariat has identified six general areas of priority focus for its efforts through 2011:

back to top

back to top

A joint operational approach: DAC – CD alliance - LenCD

The DAC is working closely with two partners to implement its work on capacity development:

• The DAC will focus on donors – DAC member countries and key multilateral partners - to share experience, promote joint learning, and seek common action strategies for capacity development;
• The Southern-led CD alliance will constitute a political forum that represents partner country advocacy;
• LenCD serves as a joint North-South learning platform to collect and consolidate existing information and knowledge on capacity development best practice. This learning will be used by all actors as an empirical basis for collective dialogue. Click here to read more on LenCD strategy for the coming years.

The DAC, LenCD and the CD Alliance have also established linkages with several other partners within and outside of the donor community, including - among others:

• The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), to support the implementation of NEPAD “Capacity Development Strategic Framework”;
• The European Commission to support the reform of technical cooperation – to make it more effective for capacity development;
• The new Asian Capacity Development for Development Effectiveness (CDDE), and
• The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).

back to top

Key outputs and initiatives

• Civil society and private sector (to come)
• National, sector, and thematic strategies
  • Capacity Development in the Education Sector in Nepal - Issues Brief, November 2009
• Technical co-operation
  • Training for Capacity Development - Discussion Paper, September 2009
• Enabling environment (to come)
• Country systems: Capacity Development and Country Systems Issues Brief 
• Fragile situations: State Building in Situations of Fragility and Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations; Note on Capacity Building in Fragile Situations - Capacity Development Meeting - 28 April 2009

Other references

• Related documents on Capacity Development 
• Recommended websites on Capacity Development

Back to Capacity Development Home Page