OECD Development Co‑operation Peer Reviews: Norway 2019

Annex A. Progress since the 2013 DAC peer review recommendations

Towards a comprehensive development effort

 

2013 Recommendations	Progress in implementation
Recommendation 1.1 Norway should aim to scale-up partnerships with likeminded donors to help attract more resources and secure long-term sustainability of its global initiatives.	Partially Implemented
Recommendation 1.2 To improve further co-ordination, monitoring and reporting, Norway should develop a specific time-bound coherence agenda on a select number of key issues of incoherence with cross-governmental objectives and a detailed implementation plan.	Partially Implemented

Vision and policies for development co-operation

 

Recommendation 2.1 Setting out expected results and providing guidance on translating policy into operational approaches could help implement policy priorities more effectively.	Implemented
Recommendation 2.2 Developing a clear and evidence-based strategy to guide its bilateral aid decisions could help Norway bring poverty reduction closer to the operations and avoid getting involved in situations in which it has no clear comparative advantage or understanding of the context, and ensure the sustainability of its development co-operation.	Implemented

Aid volume and allocations

 

Recommendation 3.1 Norway would benefit from strategic yearly planning at both central and country levels that builds on ex-ante assessments and analyses of the expected development results.	Partially Implemented
Recommendation 3.2 Norway should ensure that its need for accountability does not undermine or duplicate the accountability structures of its multilateral partners. It should increasingly rely on, and participate in, joint assessment processes in order to keep transaction costs as low as possible for multilateral partners.	Partially Implemented

Organisation and management

Recommendation 4.1 Norway should continue to improve the clarity between the respective roles of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norad.	Partially Implemented
Recommendation 4.2 To foster Norad’s ability to provide solid country and evidence-based advice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassies, Norad staff should be encouraged to apply, and continue to be considered, for positions abroad in line with the Ministry’s policy on staff rotation.	Not Implemented

Development co-operation delivery and partnerships

 

2013 Recommendations	Progress in implementation
Recommendation 5.1 To make its aid more predictable, Norway should provide more comprehensive medium-term projections to its partner countries.	Partially Implemented
Recommendation 5.2 When working in fragile contexts, Norway should set out clear whole-of-government priorities that are co-ordinated with other donors, realistic about what can be achieved in a given timeframe, and that account for trade-offs between risks and opportunities, and short and long-term effects.	Implemented
Recommendation 5.3 Norway should seek to clarify, together with partners, what risk will be tolerated, and how risk will be managed.	Partially Implemented

Results and accountability

Recommendation 6.1 Norway should further improve its system of learning by implementing a formal management response system including making clear reporting lines and follow-up responsibilities on evaluation recommendations.	Partially Implemented
Recommendation 6.2 Norway should ensure consistent quality across all evaluations, including decentralised ones, to improve its aid programme’s evidence base.	Partially implemented

Humanitarian assistance

Recommendation 7.1 Norway should promote greater synergies between humanitarian and development programmes, especially in the areas of crisis prevention and risk reduction.	Partially Implemented
Recommendation 7.2 Norway should set clear, expected results for its humanitarian funding and humanitarian diplomacy.	Implemented

Figure A.1. Norway’s implementation of the 2013 peer review recommendations