The data gathered during the 2023-26 Global Partnership Monitoring Round constitutes the evidence base for this progress report. The results draw on data collected by 44 participating countries. Most of these countries are low or lower-middle-income countries (14 and 18 respectively), and the remaining are upper-middle income countries (12) (see Table A.1 in Annex A). Half of participating partner countries are in Africa, and one in four is in Asia, with the remaining in Latin America and Europe.
A total of 93 development partners reported in these 44 countries: 55 multilateral organisations and 38 bilateral development partners, 28 of which are DAC members and 10 are other bilateral partners (see Table A.2 in Annex A). Additionally, civil society organisations (CSO) focal points in 37 partner countries and private sector representatives in 20 partner countries participated in the 2023-26 round.
Despite a lower number of participating countries compared to the 2018 round (44 versus 86), the depth of reporting has increased substantially, with a higher number of development partners reporting per country on average (19 versus 15 in 2018) and an increased number of projects reported per country (57 compared to 39 in the 2018 round). While the focus of the monitoring exercise is not to measure development co-operation funding volumes, the total amount of development co-operation funding disbursed to the public sector reported in the 2023-26 round (USD 38.2 billion) is very similar to the amount reported in the 2018 round (USD 38.0 billion) despite the lower number of countries reporting in the 2023-26 round. This total is used for calculating the indicators on predictability and use of country public financial management (PFM) systems.
Reporting from the 44 partner countries participating in the 2023-26 round was also more comprehensive for those measurements that were already tracked in the 2018 round. Comparing indicators for which both rounds collected data (Table C.1) shows that the percentage of countries responding to, or providing data on, the various aspects covered by the monitoring exercise has increased for almost all measurements (Figure C.1). The increased coverage is especially notable for the measurements related to the enabling environment for CSOs, and SDG indicator 5.c.1 on gender-responsive budgeting.
All stakeholder groups provided significantly more comprehensive data on the assessment of the enabling environment for CSOs in the 2023-26 round than in the 2018 round. Government reporting on this assessment increased from 51% of participating partner country governments in the 2018 round to 95% in the 2023-26 round. Moreover, development partner focal points reported in 86% of participating countries, up from 37% in 2018. CSO focal points reported in 84% of participating countries, up from 51% in 2018. Together, these improvements indicate a substantial increase in the breadth of reporting across all stakeholder groups.
