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What is the PDG?
The Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG) is a multilateral group of like-minded countries and organisations whose goal is to assist states in fragile situations, post-conflict nations and emerging democracies in building their governance capacity and in improving service delivery to their citizens.
A hub for knowledge and a clearing house for good practice, the PDG assists developing countries to get a “governance kick start” in key sectors where the provision of interim international and regional personnel makes good sense. These sectors can include procurement, customs, immigration, justice, audit, taxation and public financial management.
The PDG builds upon and supports ongoing work at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and elsewhere on fragile states, aid effectiveness and state-building. In order to assist in carrying out these functions, an Advisory Unit has been established within the OECD.
Some of the characteristics of the PDG Operating Model are:
- A demand-driven initiative that responds to specific developing country requests and is consistent with the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s (DAC) good practice on aid effectiveness, governance, capacity development and state-building;
- Increasing developing countries’ ownership in setting priorities, terms of contracts, exit strategies and accountability mechanisms. At the same time, project funding and personal risks are shared among a range of partners;
- A flexible and incremental approach that gives priority to requests for assistance with easily transferable technical skills, where the results of such assistance can be achieved with a small number of international personnel and monitored through citizen feedback; and
- A unique combination of members’ work on South-South and triangular co-operation, the OECD’s expertise in knowledge-based products and UNDP’s hands-on, country-level experience.
Who are its members?
Current members include the governments of Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Turkey and the United States, as well as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS). Observers include Brazil, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The UNDP plays a co-ordination and facilitation role in the PDG’s work through its extensive global presence and in-country networks.
The PDG welcomes new members from OECD economies and middle-income countries as well as from lower income-countries and international organisations, and discussions are currently underway with a number of prospective members.
What does it do?
The PDG’s main purpose is to help developing country governments, in the absence of national capacities, and as an interim measure, to be more responsive to their citizens through helping to design initiatives and projects for the effective delivery of public services and core state functions by interim personnel for a specific period of time.
In response to a request from a developing country, the Partnership will facilitate the improvement of selected government services and core state functions, and will help to develop the capacity of government to ensure delivery of effective, accountable services and functions. It will also develop knowledge of the opportunities and constraints to governance by testing, evaluating and sharing innovations in this field. It works only where specific short-term capacity gaps relevant to its mandate can be identified and where these gaps fall within the remit of national development planning.
How will the PDG’s work bring about real change?
Cases of foreign consultants leaving no sustainable results behind and being accountable to donor governments—rather than to the countries in which they work—are only too well known. At the same time, long-term capacity building efforts can mean that urgent reconstruction needs are not addressed and can drive struggling states further into crisis. While measuring the impact of traditional interventions is difficult, evidence suggests that current practice around capacity building, particularly in fragile states, is flawed.
The PDG’s work will help to redress this problem through a combination of innovative approaches which promote stronger incentives for sustainable local institutions while helping countries meet their urgent needs to get over a temporary reform “hump”.
Which countries are eligible for PDG support?
After receiving a request from a developing country, the PDG Advisory Unit assesses whether conditions in the country are favourable to successful delivery of services under PDG-sponsored contracts. The decision on whether to approve a request for PDG sponsorship is made by the PDG Steering Group. Considerations include:
- The government has identified a need for PDG services within the broader context of its national development strategy and demonstrates political commitment to achieving results.
- There is a clearly defined transfer strategy, with explicit benchmarks and timelines, for building sustainable indigenous capacity for delivering services that have been provided under the aegis of the PDG once contracts have expired.
- Recipient Country Governments and the PDG’s Advisory Unit have identified experts who can meet the needs of the developing country, and international donors have agreed to fund PDG-sponsored projects.
What is the PDG’s value to its key stakeholders?
For developing countries, the PDG represents an innovative approach whereby the country drives the reform within the context of its national strategy, but where funding and risks are shared among many. For member countries and international organisations, the PDG represents a unique and concerted international effort to examine how the international community can directly support service delivery and core policy functions through the provision of interim expertise. The PDG will concentrate attention, expertise, and resources on this important area.
The focus on capacity development and delivering public services complements the OECD’s ongoing work on aid effectiveness, governance and fragile states, and capacity development. The role of the PDG’s Advisory Unit matches well the OECD’s traditional areas of comparative advantage: as a powerful convenor for international debate, discussion and networking, impartial analysis, the development of best practice guidance and peer learning. The collaboration with UNDP provides the Partnership with a field-based perspective in client countries and facilitates the Partnership’s activities on the ground.
Is it ODA?
Yes. In accordance with the statistical reporting directives, voluntary contributions supporting the PDG in respect of special funds for technical co-operation activities and funds in support of the PDG Advisory Unit will be considered Official Development Assistance (ODA).
How can countries join the PDG?
Countries and international organisations interested in seeking PDG membership should first contact the PDG Chair (the OECD Secretary-General) via the Partnership’s Advisory Unit:
PDG Advisory Unit
2, rue André-Pascal
75775 Paris CEDEX 16 France
pdgcontact@oecd.org
www.oecd.org/pdg
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