1. Progress & Challenges in Aid Co-ordination & Delivery
Presentation to
Sudan Consortium
Juba, March 2007
Moses Mabior Deu
Director, Aid Co-ordination
MoFEP, GoSS

2. Overview
Effective Aid Co-ordination & Delivery requires a joint approach from Government and Donors
Operating without co-ordination is ‘least cost’ in terms of effort (no effort required on any side)
But is ‘maximum cost’ in terms of service delivery to the people of Southern Sudan (interventions are unco-ordinated & unprioritised)

3. Challenges of Aid Co-ordination
Challenges of Aid Co-ordination in a post-conflict setting include:
Developing Government ownership
Ensuring Donor participation
Putting in place systems for information sharing between Government & Donors
Establishing a system for Monitoring & Evaluating aid delivery, so that attention is paid to outcomes, not just processes

4. Starting Point in Southern Sudan
Prior to establishment of GoSS, aid co-ordination was limited to humanitarian efforts led by the UN, and certain joint donor mechanisms for development assistance (CBTF, MDTF)
There was no overall mechanism for co-ordination in place, and no complete overview of donor activity in Southern Sudan

5. Establishment of GoSS
Establishment of GoSS brought its own challenges for Aid Co-ordination, including the need for:
Establishment of a Framework for Aid Co-ordination
Assignment of Roles & Responsibilities of different GoSS Agencies
Initiation of systematic GoSS – Donor dialogue & partnership at operational level

6. First Steps in Aid Co-ordination
An early step towards GoSS Aid Co-ordination was the establishment by the Minister of Finance of the Inter Ministerial Project Appraisal Committee (Dec 05)
It was followed by establishment of the GoSS Budget Sector Working Groups (Feb 06) and development of the GoSS Aid Strategy (Aug -Nov 06)

7. Key Elements of GoSS Aid Co-ordination Framework
GoSS Aid Strategy; guides the overall GoSS approach to Aid Co-ordination
Inter-Ministerial Appraisal Committee; central GoSS appraisal/approval mechanism for donor projects
GoSS Budget Sector Working Groups; mechanism for donor participation in GoSS planning & prioritisation at sectoral level

8. Objective of GoSS Aid Co-ordination
The objective of the GoSS Aid Co-ordination is:
‘To co-ordinate development aid from international donors, so that it is used effectively and aligned with the priorities of the Government of Southern Sudan’
(GoSS Aid Strategy Nov 2006)

9. Aid Strategy Principles
Alignment; of donor assistance with GoSS priorities
Co-ordination; of aid delivery with GoSS programmes, to avoid duplication, concentration or neglect
Predictability; of the volume and timing of aid flows
Harmonisation; of donor activities and programmes
Institutional Development; using aid to enhance GoSS capacity
Mutual Accountability; between GoSS and donors

10. Status of the Aid Strategy
Aid Strategy endorsed by the Council of Ministers in November 2006, and presented to donor partners
GoSS has received a joint response from donors; key aspects of the response were discussed in the first GoSS-Donor Quarterly Forum in Juba, February 2007
MoFEP to incorporate donor comments into the Strategy where feasible
Final Strategy to be presented by the Minister of Finance to the Legislative Assembly, as a GoSS Policy Document

11. Roles & Responsibilities of GoSS Agencies in Aid Co-ordination
Guided by the Aid Strategy:
All Ministries; identification of donor projects based on sectoral priorities
Regional Co-operation; external liaison with foreign Governments & international organisations
Ministry of Finance; aid co-ordination, management & approval
Legal Affairs; approval of legal agreements relating to aid

12. Role of the Inter Ministerial Appraisal Committee
Appraisal of proposed projects to ensure consistency with GoSS priorities & aid strategy principles
Mechanism for ensuring GoSS awareness/ownership of projects beyond the Ministry concerned
Approved projects are recommended for legal review & signature
Only the Minister of Finance has the authority to sign donor project agreements

13. Composition of Inter-Ministerial Appraisal Committee
Core Members; Ministry of Finance (Chair), Presidential Affairs, Legal Affairs, Regional Co-operation, Centre for Statistics, Environment
All other Ministries are invited on an ad hoc basis, depending on the project being discussed
All Ministries within a Sector are invited to discuss a project that falls within their Sector

14. Appraisal Committee Progress to date
12 meetings held since February 2006
Over 20 Ministries/Spending Agencies have attended
14 Projects have been appraised, of which:
9 MDTF
2 EC
1 ADB, 1 UNDP, 1 Global Fund

15. Role of Budget Sector Working Groups
Drafting rolling 3 year Budget Sector Plans, in order to
Prioritise sector activities & set measurable objectives for service delivery
Guide annual budget allocations
Feed into the GoSS Development Framework
Sectoral level co-ordination between GoSS and donors, including identification & formulation of donor projects & mapping of existing activities
Monitoring & evaluation of sectoral performance

16. Composition of Budget Sector Working Groups
There are 10 GoSS Budget Sector Working Groups
Each group has a Chair from a GoSS Ministry/Spending Agency within the Sector, and a Donor Co-Chair
Secretariat functions are undertaken by a GoSS Ministry/Spending Agency within the Sector
All other GoSS Ministries & Spending Agencies within the Sector are members of the group
Other Donors & UN agencies can also participate

17. Progress of Budget Sector Working Groups to date
Budget Sector Plans for were drafted between July and September 2006
19 donor & UN agencies participated in the drafting process
Drafts included Sector objectives & activities for , as well as mapping of donor activities in each Sector
However, drafts tended to over-estimate GoSS resources & capacities, and therefore were ambitious in many cases

18. Next Steps for Budget Sector Working Groups
Objectives from existing Budget Sector Plans will be synthesised into an outline for the GoSS Development Framework
Specific training sessions will be provided prior to the commencement of the forthcoming Planning cycle, so that:
Plans are more realistic
Plans can begin to act as tool to guide annual budget preparation
Monitoring & Evaluation and donor project formulation functions also need to be developed over time

19. Donor Mapping
Donor mapping in draft Budget Sector Plans provided a useful snapshot of current donor funding
However, donor review/verification of the data was weak
Further work is needed on a sector by sector basis, to establish the details of the activities financed by the ongoing projects, to avoid future duplication & identify gaps

20. GoSS & Donor Funding 2007 - $m

21. GoSS-Donor Dialogue & Partnership
The MDTF is currently one of the main vehicles for GoSS-Donor partnerships
However, MDTF and its Oversight Committee has a specific project focus
GoSS has therefore instituted quarterly donor forums to enable more broad-based dialogue with donors and UN agencies
Donor & UN Agency participation in Sector Working Groups will also enhance partnership at Sectoral level

22. Aid Delivery Challenges include
difficult operating environment
relatively weak capacity of counterpart GoSS institutions
But challenges should not preclude systematic reporting on Aid Delivery to GoSS
Some progress with MDTF reporting
GoSS needs to institute standardised reporting format & timetable for other donor & UN agency projects

23. Challenges Going Forward
Capacity of GoSS institutions to work with donor/UN Agency counterparts
Participation of donors/UN Agencies in GoSS processes for Aid Co-ordination, including Budget Sector Working Groups, quarterly Donor Forum etc
Compliance – ensuring all donor/UN agency projects are presented to the Inter Ministerial Appraisal Committee
Information & Reporting – ensuring systematic information flow to GoSS on donor/UN activities & outputs

24. Conclusion
It takes time to institute an effective, Government-led system for Aid Co-ordination
It is essential that GoSS and all donor/UN partners to work together, with roles & responsibilities clearly identified
We believe we have started to make progress, but sustained effort is required
Improvements in aid co-ordination & improvements in aid delivery go hand in hand

25. THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING!