OECD Development Co‑operation Peer Reviews: Ireland 2020

Annex A. Progress since the 2014 DAC peer review recommendations

Towards a comprehensive Irish development effort

Recommendations 2014	Progress
To deliver on its commitment to policy coherence for development, Ireland can build on its whole of government approaches to develop a clear cross-government plan of action on a few policy issues of strategic priority which it can influence.	Partially implemented

Vision and policies for development co-operation

 

Recommendations 2014	Progress
DFAT’s guidance and tools for taking decisions about programming and partnerships should provide clarity of purpose, help rationalise delivery of the programme and take staffing capacity into account.	Implemented
The Irish Government should set out its ambition and priorities for all its multilateral engagement and use these to guide strategic allocations to multilateral organisations.	Partially implemented
DFAT should clarify how it will operationalise the One World, One Future priority on inclusive economic growth and define the coherence and linkages with the Africa Strategy’s trade objective. It can learn from DAC members’ experience in this area.	Partially implemented

Aid volume and allocation

Recommendations 2014	Progress
Ireland should communicate the rationale and projections for scaling up its ODA towards 0.7% of GNI to the public and key stakeholders. It should also start planning how increases will be allocated.	Partially implemented

Organisation and management

Recommendations 2014	Progress
DFAT should finalise its human resource policy for development co-operation staff and introduce medium-term workforce planning to ensure it has the right levels of staff and competencies to deliver its policy and respond to field imperatives.	Partially implemented
DCD should ensure that more standardised management systems produce information that is relevant for, and feeds into, context-specific strategic planning.	Implemented

Development co-operation delivery and partnerships

 

Recommendations 2014	Progress
Ireland should continue to deliver locally owned development co-operation aligned to partners' priorities and work with development providers to push for effective delivery of international commitments for making aid effective.	Partially implemented
To deliver on the trade and economic growth objectives of One World, One Future and the Africa Strategy, Ireland needs rigorous analysis, a clear policy and the right tools and instruments for effective engagement with the private sector.	Partially implemented
Embassies and NGOs receiving support from headquarters should work together to improve dialogue and co-ordination for more effective programming in the partner country.	Implemented

Results and accountability

Recommendations 2014	Progress
DFAT should build on the work underway to strengthen its information management systems, creating a culture of learning and investing in knowledge sharing.	Partially implemented
Ireland should further improve the transparency of its development co-operation.	Implemented

Humanitarian assistance

Recommendations 2014	Progress
To improve predictability, Ireland should ensure that its eligibility criteria and procedures for the various humanitarian funding schemes are better communicated.	Partially implemented
Ireland should work towards more systematic publication of both its programme reviews and the results of its humanitarian programme.	Partially implemented

Figure A.1. Ireland’s implementation of 2014 peer review recommendations