Aid Management Policy Documents and Guidelines

The following links provide access to some of the most relevant aid management policy documents.

National Policy Frameworks and Aid Effectiveness

The National Strategic Development Plan Update (2009-2013) replaces the 2006-2010 NSDP as the framework in which to operationalise the second phase of Rectangular Strategy of the Government. The second phase of the Rectangular Strategy was launched in September 2008.

The Strategic Framework for Development Cooperation Management (2006-2010) and the National Operational Guidelines set out the manner in which Government wishes to manage external development resources in the context of the NSDP and Rectangular Strategy. The Harmonisation, Alignment and Results Action Plan (2006-2010) provides a basis for monitoring the implementation of priority aid effectiveness activities.

Monitoring Aid Effectiveness

Cambodia participated in the third phase of Paris Declaration monitoring survey in the first quarter of 2011. The 2011 survey was designed to assess progress made against the global and national commitments associated with the 2005 Paris Declaration and to support improvements in the way aid is delivered in Cambodia.

A Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in Cambodia was signed in October 2006 with development partners to apply the global principles that had been agreed in the Paris Declaration. An Aid Effectiveness Report was prepared in 2007, 2008, and 2010 for the Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum. A Development Effectiveness Report was prepared in 2011 to inform dialogue concerning the future role of development partnership in Cambodia and to provide an input for the HLF4 on Aid Effectiveness in Busan.

A significant share of development assistance is provided in the form of technical cooperation. Several studies have been completed on this topic:

Technical Cooperation Study on the Health Sector (2008)
Technical Cooperation in Cambodia: Making the System Work Better (2008)
Capacity Building Practices of Cambodia's Development Partners (2004) 
Technical Assistance and Capacity Development (2002)

These studies were used to inform the preparation of a Government Position Paper which was subsequently developed into a 'Guideline on the Provision and Management of Technical Cooperation' for use by Government and its development partners.

An additional aid effectiveness challenge relates to excessive degrees of aid fragmentation. This occurs where development partners allocate their resources across a large number of sectors or where each sector faces an excessive management burden as a result of implementing a large number of projects. These challenges were analysed in the Aid Effectiveness Reports. The proposed Government response is to review the nature of the challenge in each sector and to promote the increased use of programme-based approaches; b) encouraging increased use of delegated cooperation arrangements; c) using General or sector budget support, or pooled funds; and d) developing increased capacity at sector level to promote efficient project implementation, including by making increased use of country systems.

The Multi-Donor Support Program (2006-2010) is the main instrument of donor support to the Government's aid management function. An Independent Review was commissioned by CRDB/CDC to assess project performance since 2006 and to provide guidance on the future direction of the project.

Evaluation of Aid Effectiveness

During 2010, Cambodia participated in the second phase of the global Paris Declaration Evaluation.

In the period June to November 2008 an Evaluation of Aid Effectiveness in Cambodia was conducted, timed to build on the global consensus on aid effectiveness agreed at the Accra High-Level Forum.(the Accra Agenda for Action is also available in Khmer). The purpose of the Evaluation on Aid Effectiveness was to review and evaluate accumulated experience in implementing the H-A-R Action Plan and to identify an approach for the period 2009-2010. The evaluation also strengthened the mutual accountability component of Cambodia's aid effectiveness work. A Concept Note guided the evaluation process, and self-assessments were produced by each development partner and Technical Working Group. These were synthesised into a short note and, together with a range of other qualitative and quantitative evidence, were provided to an Independent Review Team, who conducted their own research and analysis. The findings of the Evaluation were reported in the 2008 Aid Effectiveness Report, which was presented to the December 2008 CDCF meeting.

Partnership and Dialogue mechanisms

The Technical Working Groups are the basis for dialogue on a range of sectoral and thematic issues. Their work is structured on a Guideline on the Role and Functioning of the TWGs (December 2006). CDC/CRDB has provided block grant funds to ten TWGs throughout 2008 and 2009. This interim support to ensure that no TWG is constrained by administrative obstacles will be replaced by more tailored approaches in 2010.

Progress is monitored based on a set of Joint Monitoring Indicators that are informed by a set of JMI Guidelines. The Government-Development Partner Coordination Committee (GDCC) coordinates TWG activity and the Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF), which met in June 2007, December 2008 and June 2010,  provides an opportunity for high-level dialogue.

Partnership issues have been the basis for considerable discussion. Some of the more relevant studies are provided below:

Evaluation of Aid Effectiveness in Cambodia
National Structure and Systems for Aid Implementation in Cambodia, May 2010
Progress Report on Phase Three of the "Making Partnerships Effective in Cambodia" exercise, August 2010
Background note on 5 initiatives - TWG Network 05 September 2010
Guideline on the Role and Functioning of the TWGs, October 2010 (Khmer Version) - Decision 58
Supporting results-based programmatic approaches in Cambodia, October 2010 (Khmer Version) - Decision 57
"Making Partnerships Effective in Cambodia" exercise, September 2009
Third Seoul ODA International Conference, Statement by H.E Chhieng Yanara , Secretary General of CRDB/CDC (04 November 2009)
Mutual Accountability: an imperative for capacity development (2006)
The GDCC-TWG Review (2006)
GDCC and TWG study by Agulhas consultants (2006)
Practices and Lessons Learned in the Management of Development Cooperation (2004)
Envisioning a new paradigm of development cooperation in Cambodia (2004)

Partnership has also been a discussion topic at the high-level consultations. The following documents record the evolution in the development partnership since 2000.

Aid Management Systems in Cambodia

The Cambodia ODA Database records details of project and programme assistance provided by all development partners. Details related to the ODA Database can be accessed here and there is also a ODA Database User Manual available for download.