Gender and aid effectiveness: the road to Ghana and beyond

EC/UN Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace Gender and aid effectiveness: the road to Ghana and beyond Information brief on gender equality and the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held in Accra, 2-4 September 2008 Draft, February 2008

Information brief on gender equality and the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held in Accra, 2-4 September 2008 This information brief is an awareness-raising tool for institutional representatives involved in development programming at international and national level, and for gender equality advocates at international and national levels. It is designed to: Give a short explanation of the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to be held in Accra, 2-4 September 2008, (HLF 3) and the actors involved in its planning and organisation; Inform on the approach proposed by UNIFEM and the EC/UN Partnership 1 advancing the gender equality agenda at the HLF 3; for Suggest lobbying actions for the promotion of the gender equality agenda at the HLF 3. 1 The is a joint programme of the European Commission (EC), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO). www.gendermatters.eu www.gendermatters.eu

Information brief on gender equality and the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held in Accra, 2-4 September 2008 Contents THE THIRD HIGH LEVEL FORUM ON AID EFFECTIVENESS...1 The Paris Declaration Principles...2 The objectives of HLF 3... 2 Structure of the HLF 3... 3 Expected outcomes of the HLF3... 4 Official preparatory events and documents... 5 Parallel processes, events, and other initiatives... 5 STAKES FOR WOMEN AND GENDER EQUALITY...7 WHO IS INVOLVED AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?...9 Key actors in the preparation of the HLF... 9 Stakeholders... 9 ACTION: HOW TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY INTO THE HLF 3 AND BEYOND?...122 CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES...14 www.gendermatters.eu

The Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness The adoption in 2000 of the Millennium Declaration outlined a set of principles and commitments to guide donors and partner countries towards the improvement of human development, poverty reduction and women s empowerment through a new partnership for global development. Following the Millennium Declaration, a new aid architecture has been put in place, shaped by the outcomes of a number of international high level conferences, including the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Key events on financing for development and aid effectiveness March 2002, the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development: Developing countries take up the commitment to strengthen policies and institutions that could stimulate growth and reduce poverty. Developed countries agree to provide more and better aid, and to improve trade and debt policies, so that these contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development in partner countries. February 2003, the First High Level Forum on Harmonisation in Rome: There is an agreement that development assistance needs to be harmonized around the principle of recipient-country ownership and government leadership, including strengthening civil society and the private sector s involvement in national development process. Barcelona Commitments: (Following up the Monterrey Consensus) The European Union (EU) Member States, currently providing over 50% of ODA worldwide, take up the commitment to increase their ODA volumes to 0.39% of their Gross National Income (GNI) by 2006. February 2004, Second Roundtable on Development Results, Marrakech: Development partners outside the EU sign the Marrakech Memorandum with a view to placing development results at the centre of planning, implementation and evaluation. March 2005, the Second High Level Forum, Paris: 100 signatories from partner governments, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, regional development banks, and international agencies endorse the Paris Declaration and agree on 56 partnership commitments to deliver aid in a more effective way. 12 indicators are identified in order to provide a measurable and evidence-based way to track progress against aid effectiveness objectives. The Paris Declaration sets targets for 11 of the indicators for the year 2010. This moved the aid effectiveness agenda to the status of a blueprint for donors and partner countries to implement the various commitments in a spirit of mutual accountability. 2-4 September 2008, the Third High Level Forum (HLF 3) to be held in Accra, Ghana will review progress made since the Paris Declaration and also broaden and deepen the dialogue on aid effectiveness by giving space and voice to partner countries, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and emerging donors. It is co-sponsored by the Government of Ghana, OECD DAC, WB and the UNDP (for UN). The Ghana Forum will provide an opportunity for the international community to critically reflect on how the new aid agenda and the implementation of Paris Declaration principles impacts on gender equality and women s empowerment. www.gendermatters.eu 1

The Paris Declaration Principles The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness aims to reform the delivery and management of aid. It establishes overarching principles to redefine the relationship between donor and partner countries. Ownership Partner countries exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies and coordinate development action. Alignment Donors base their overall support on partner countries national development strategies, institutions and procedures, and link funding to a single framework of conditions and/or a manageable set if indicators derived from the national development strategy. It also entails expanding the shift from project/programme based aid towards general or sectoral direct budget support in order to ensure holistic support for poverty reduction strategies and development priorities. Harmonisation Donors make their actions more consistent with each other, more transparent and collectively effective. This includes rationalising donor activities, increasing predictability, regulating conditionality and scaling up aid toward the levels required to achieve development goals. Managing for results Managing and implementing aid with a focus on results. The tracking of results based aid at the country level is to be carried out through transparent and monitorable country performance assessment frameworks. Mutual accountability Donors and partner countries are accountable for development results through systems, procedures, and capacities in donor and recipient countries that measure aid performance. The objectives of HLF 3 Take stock and review progress on implementing the Paris Declaration. Re-energize and broaden the international consensus, especially in partner countries and among donor agencies, on the importance of aid effectiveness and on the Paris Principles and the need for their effective implementation. Share good practices, identify problem areas, and explain how constraints are being overcome, both in partner countries and by donor agencies. Ensure that development practitioners in partner countries as well as donor agencies, including non-dac and new donors who should be involved in implementation fully understand, support, and are engaged in the process. Demonstrate to the broader public the important contribution aid effectiveness can make to international efforts to help partner countries in the overall achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and other development goals. Identify and agree on a programme of action the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) to address the main challenges that have arisen so far and map out a strategy for action leading to 2010 and beyond. www.gendermatters.eu 2

Structure of the HLF 3 The Marketplace will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to showcase good practices and lessons learnt from policies and initiatives promoting aid effectiveness. Roundtable discussions. There will be nine Roundtables, whose purpose is to provide a space for in-depth discussion on policy initiatives to advance the aid effectiveness agenda and identify priority actions, which will shape the aid effectiveness agenda with a vision beyond 2010. Each Roundtable will be co-chaired by a donor and a partner country. The final decision on the cochairs will be made by 1 April 2008. The agreed subjects of the nine round tables 2 and their designated co-chairs are: RT1 - Country ownership (Switzerland/Colombia) RT2 - Alignment: use of country systems, untying, predictability (European Commission/ Partner country to be determined) RT3 - Harmonisation: rationalising aid delivery, complementarity, and division of labour (Germany/ Partner country to be determined) RT4 - Managing for results and development impact (OECD DAC/ South Africa) RT5 - Mutual accountability (Ireland/ Partner country to be determined) RT6 - Role of CSO in advancing aid effectiveness (Canada/ Ghana to be confirmed) RT7 - Aid effectiveness in fragile states and conflict situations (France/ Democratic Republic of Congo) RT8 - Sectoral application of the Paris Declaration: health, education, infrastructure (Sweden/ Honduras) RT9 - New aid architecture: South-South partners, vertical funds (World Bank/ Partner country to be determined) All the round tables will address cross-cutting issues such as human rights, social exclusion, gender and the environment. The Ministerial-Level meeting, which will conclude the HLF 3 with the endorsement of the Ministerial Declaration based on high-level discussions and negotiations on key issues. It will consist of three sessions: 1) Assessing progress in meeting Paris Declaration commitments based on evidence from the 2006 and 2008 OECD Monitoring Surveys of the Paris Declaration implementation by donors and partner countries; from Phase 1 of the Paris Declaration evaluation; from analysis of 15 DAC peer reviews of bilateral donor programmes; the Accra Progress report and oral conclusions from the Roundtables; 2) Addressing critical new challenges with a very short, concrete menu of important policy issues, striking a balance between donor and partner commitments and priorities; 3) Endorsing the Accra Action Agenda. 2 The Terms of Reference for the Roundtables are available at www.gendermatters.eu www.gendermatters.eu 3

Side events for which, rooms with space for around 40 people will be available. Expected outcomes of the HLF3 A Ministerial Declaration and the Accra Action Agenda (AAA), which are expected to present a short and concrete menu of important policy issues and recommended actions for development partners. There is a distinction between issues of interest to donors and partner countries. On the basis of this distinction, the AAA could include: One or two issues of special interest to partner countries (mid-term financial need estimates and predictability of aid) One or two issues of special interest to donors (complementarity, division of labour at both country and cross-country levels) One or two issues that are of interest to both (accountability, voice of civil society) (Possibly) the AAA might include indicators for future monitoring. The First Outline of the AAA is currently under consideration by the Steering Committee and a zero draft will be prepared by 3 March 2008. The draft AAA will be further strengthened based on the outcomes of the regional consultations to be held between February and April 2008 (see section on Regional Consultations) An Accra Progress Report (based on the 2008 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration). In the first quarter of 2008, a Second Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration 3 was launched. The results of the 2008 Survey will be an important evidence-based contribution to the assessment at the HLF3 of progress achieved in relation to Paris Declaration implementation. A Report of the Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness (see pg. 9) is expected to contribute towards the following objectives: a better understanding and recognition of civil society organizations role as development players and as part of the international aid architecture; strengthened engagement of CSOs in general discussions of aid effectiveness; improved understanding of the applicability and limitations of the Paris Declaration for addressing issues of aid effectiveness of importance to CSOs; improved understanding of good practices relating to civil society and aid effectiveness by CSOs, donors and developing country governments. 3 In 2006, 34 partner countries and 55 donors participated in the first round of monitoring the Paris Declaration http://www.oecd.org/document/20/0,3343,en_2649_3236398_38521876_1_1_1_1,00.html www.gendermatters.eu 4

Official preparatory events and documents 4 Regional consultations Four rounds of regional mini-consultations with partner countries were carried out from June to September 2007 in Mauritius, Ghana, Honduras and the Philippines. The following regional consultations are planned for the second quarter of 2008 with the regional development banks 5 leading their organization: Africa (led by the AfDB): April/May in Kigali, Rwanda Asia (led by the AsDB): four sub-regional meetings in April Latin America and the Caribbean (led by the IADB): 22-23 April Arab States (led by the IDB): to be determined. These events will bring together a broad range of actors, including partner countries (governments, parliamentarians, CSOs), donors and the private sector. The first Menu of Options for the Accra Action Agenda will be based on contributions from the above preparatory events. The International Forum on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness was organised by the Advisory Group on Civil Society in Ottawa, Canada in February 2008. A consultation of women s organisations, organised by AWID, WIDE and UNIFEM with support from CIDA and ActionAid International was held prior to this Forum to formulate specific recommendations on the integration of gender equality in the international policy agenda on aid effectiveness. The recommendations from the women s consultation fed into the International Forum on Civil Society 6. The result of the Forum was the recognition of women s organisations as key players in the aid effectiveness dialogue and AWID and WIDE were invited to be official observers of the Advisory Group on Civil Society. 4 For a description of the process and eventual Paris Declaration updates see: OECD website http://www.oecd.org/document/47/0,3343,en_2649_3236398_39448751_1_1_1_1,00.html; For selected references on gender and aid effectiveness see: www.gendermatters.eu. A brief on Gender and Aid Effectiveness, which is being prepared by the EC/ UN project may complement this reading. 5 World Bank (WB), African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (AsDB), Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) 6 See: www.gendermatters.eu www.gendermatters.eu 5

Parallel processes, events, and other initiatives -OECD-DAC GENDERNET conferences and policy analysis: A workshop will be organised by GENDERNET in co-operation with DFID and Irish Aid on Strengthening the development results and impacts of the Paris Declaration through work on Gender Equality, Social Exclusion and Human Rights (Dublin+1). The workshop will take place on 12-13 March 2008. Its aim is to refine key messages and actionable commitments for the HLF 3 on the links between the new aid modalities, aid effectiveness and gender equality as well as on other cross-cutting issues. It also aims at identifying relevant case studies which could be presented at the HLF-3 as part of the Roundtables and the Marketplace. GENDERNET already organized a joint workshop with the UN IANWGE in January 2008 on Enhancing partnerships between multilateral and bilateral agencies to support partner country efforts to achieve gender equality and women s empowerment. -Accra Civil Society Forum prior to the HLF 3: A Civil Society Forum will be organised prior to the High Level Forum (31 August-1 September). CSOs advocacy focuses on key issues and proposals aiming at deepening the aid effectiveness agenda and enriching the Paris Declaration implementation by providing an alternative approach to governance and accountability in the context of the new aid architecture. www.gendermatters.eu 6

Stakes for women and gender equality A number of parallel processes initiated by UNIFEM s partners and other women s organisations use the human rights framework as the main accountability mechanism and framework for monitoring donors and partner countries commitment to gender equality in the context of Paris Declaration implementation and the increased use of new aid modalities. A key advocacy message that derives from this approach is that the new aid architecture and policy developments promoting aid effectiveness need to be more accountable to gender equality and women s human rights. The international debate launched by development partners at all levels including CSOs contributes to a continuous analysis of the implications of the new aid architecture for gender equality. This process is providing valuable insights into challenges, and also provides opportunities for action 7. Gender 1 The 2 The equality advocates have identified opportunities for gender equality 8 in the aid effectiveness agenda. Even though the extent to which they have been capitalized in principle remains to be seen, they provide an important guidance for action. principle of ownership presents a valuable opportunity to advance the gender equality agenda through the participatory process that underpins it. One key condition for a meaningful participatory process is that gender equality should be recognized as an important element of the development agenda. Furthermore, both the extent and quality of participation by women s groups and gender advocates in development planning and monitoring as well as financial resources allocation must be strengthened. Paris Declaration principle of alignment will benefit the mainstreaming of gender in national plans and budgets. Underpinning the principle of alignment is the need to ensure that resources --- both from development aid and the national budget --- are allocated to well-defined and country-owned priorities. This will result in an improved resource-base for gender equality, provided it is recognized as an important part of national development processes and priorities, including national poverty reduction strategies. 7 Just to mention a few: UNIFEM/EC conference, Owning Development: Promoting Gender Equality in New Aid Modalities and Partnerships, Brussels, 9-11 November 2005; Regional Consultation on Aid Effectiveness and Gender Equality in Africa, Bujumbura- Burundi in July 2006, Ghana in November 2006, Djibouti in November 2006, and Zambia in July 2007, facilitated by UNIFEM; the Government of Kazakhstan and UNIFEM sponsored a High-level Consultation on Gender Equality and Development Planning and Budgeting in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Almaty-Kazakhstan, May 2007; the Government of Indonesia and UNIFEM sponsored a Regional Consultation in the Asia-Pacific, Jakarta-Indonesia, 22-24 August 2007; Workshop on Applying the Paris Declaration to Advancing Gender Equality, Environmental Sustainability and Human Rights, Dublin, 26-27 April 2007, facilitated by OECD-DAC. More references to research are available at www.gendermatters.eu 8 See for example Paris Declaration commitments and implications for gender equality and women s empowerment, GENDERNET July 2006 www.gendermatters.eu 7

3 The 4 Stronger principle of harmonization in an opportunity to leverage the influence and resources for gender equality. Harmonization should enable donors to define their comparative advantage and share the work accordingly. This represents an opportunity for donors supportive of gender equality to leverage their influence and resources. Donors with a strong commitment to gender equality should systematically incorporate a gender perspective in their country specific programmes and strategies. The implementation of these strategies should be accompanied by specific financial allocations in support of promoting gender equality in partner countries. mechanisms for accountability will increase visibility for gender equality. Improving accountability should make gender equality issues and outcomes more visible in the development agenda, while improvements in enforceability should provide greater incentives for both partner countries and donors to deliver on gender equality commitments. Coherent and systematic inclusion of a gender perspective in accountability mechanisms and frameworks monitoring the implementation and results of donor programmes and national development plans is of ultimate importance in ensuring that these contribute to the objectives of gender equality and women s empowerment. www.gendermatters.eu 8

Who is involved and what is their role? The mapping of actors involved in international processes leading to the HLF 3 and the analysis of their mandates and positions is important in identifying strategic partners and advocacy targets for gender equality. This is also relevant for the work that needs to be done beyond the HLF 3 on gender, aid effectiveness and the new aid modalities. Key actors in the preparation of the HLF OECD-DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (WP-EFF) Comprising 23 OECD member states and six multilateral organizations 9, is the main decision making body with regards to the preparations for the HLF 3. The World Bank provides logistical support for HLF 3 and is in charge of the formulation of background documents informing the Steering Committee discussions and negotiations with partner countries. Accra HLF 3 Steering Committee Composed of the WP on EFF, the chair of DAC, UK, UNDP, AfDB, European Commission (EC), Japan, Ghana, Vietnam, Nicaragua, and South Africa, the Accra HLF 3 Steering Committee advises on the content of the HLF 3 and is responsible for preparing its final document, the Accra Action Agenda. OECD-DAC, WB, and Ghana form the Core Group of the Steering Committee chaired by the WB. Ghana National Preparatory Committee Headed by a top Ministry of Finance department with representation from the President s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Committee represents the very important role of Ghana as the host country, in terms of securing a successful outcome of the HLF 3. Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness (CSO/EFF AG) Chaired by Canada, the Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness consists of representatives from OECD Secretariat, Norway, Rwanda, Zambia, and four Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) EURODAD, Canadian Council for International Co-operation, Poverty Reduction Forum, and Reality of Aid. Its mandate is to facilitate a multi-stakeholder process and bring CSOs into the dialogue and provide advice to the WP on EFF and the Steering Committee. 9 World Bank (WB), African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IMF, and UNDG/UNDP www.gendermatters.eu 9

Stakeholders Partner countries The mapping of partner countries positions and involvement in discussions serves for a critical assessment of the HLF 3 preparation process initiated by the OECD, and brings out the political messages put forward by partner countries. A Network for Aid Effectiveness Officials was formed in 2006 at Zimbali in South Africa with a Task Team including Mali, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Viet Nam and Nicaragua, led by Ghana. The Task Team, with support from the WB, developed the Concept Note: Partner country preparatory process, which also comments on the challenges of the new aid architecture. Some 10 of the challenges covered by the Concept Note: Partner country preparatory process National ownership is driven by donors and many partner countries have yet to identify effective means whereby they can implement meaningful ownership. Aid modalities are supply-driven. The unpredictability of aid and high transaction costs have yet to be addressed effectively. Conditionality of aid continues to restrict spending on programmes prioritized by partner countries and thus undermines efforts to meet the MDGs. The UN Secretary General report on the Follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development 11 has also highlighted key demands of partner countries such as: Allocation of development resources and identification of policy approaches for achieving aid effectiveness need to be jointly decided by donors and partners; The issues of lower aid conditionality, simpler monitoring, reduced transaction costs as well the unpredictability of aid flows need to be effectively addressed; There is a need to intensify and institutionalize the participation of developing countries in both the conceptual and operational aspects of the aid effectiveness agenda through the new ECOSOC Development Co-operation Forum. More specifically on HLF 3, the Report stresses that the Forum should look at concrete actions to accelerate and deepen it the implementation of the Paris Declaration, focusing on ownership, accountability and capacity building as cross-cutting dimensions. 10 An undated second draft of the concept note is available at http://betteraid.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/hlf 3-concept-note-of-partner-countries.doc 11 Follow-up to and implementation of the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Report of the Secretary-General A/62/217, 10 August 2007 http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n07/455/80/paris DECLARATIONF/N0745580.Paris Declarationf?OpenElement www.gendermatters.eu 10

UNDG Working Group on Aid Effectiveness It aims at defining UN s role and contribution to the Paris Declaration implementation at country and international level, assessing UN s role 12 and positioning in the new aid architecture, and monitoring UN institutions compliance with Paris Declaration at partner country level. It uses an Action Plan to this end. The Action Plan prescribes the steps to implementing the Paris Declaration at country level through the Resident Coordinator system and UN Country Teams (UNCT) and contribution to the global process within the OECD-DAC. The Action Plan focuses on the UNCT s support to partner countries in sector support arrangements and national capacities building for implementation of Paris Declaration. OECD-DAC/ GENDERNET Within the specific context of international processes and discussions on aid effectiveness, the mandate of GENDERNET is to influence the implementation of the Paris Declaration from a gender perspective. GENDERNET s contribution to the Accra process includes inputs into the progress report on implementation of the Paris Declaration; formulation of concrete suggestions for the Accra Action A genda, as well as input into regional and international preparatory events. Key GENDERNET messages to the political segment of HLF 3 are the following: Gender equality and women s empowerment are powerful multipliers of development efforts; Gender inequalities are costly and undermine aid effectiveness and development impact; Gender equality and women s empowerment should benefit from scaled up ODA work; The Paris Declaration is an important vehicle for addressing gender equality and women s empowerment. Civil Society Organizations Parallel to the Advisory Group on Civil Society, the network CSO Parallel Process to the Ghana High Level Forum brings together local, national, regional and international NGOs active in research and advocacy on the development and gender impacts of the new aid architecture. Women s organisations such as AWID and WIDE are active members. The members of the network focus their analysis on the limitations of Paris Declaration and aid effectiveness agenda in terms of their limited pro-poor, pro- development impact in partner countries. Women s organizations Women s organisations have developed a critical analysis of political forces, geo-political interests and neo-liberal policies determining the new aid architecture. They have also developed a critical assessment of the new aid modalities and the Paris Declaration and their impact on gender equality (focussing for example- on the fact that the Paris Declaration has provided limited space for the integration of gender equality in development frameworks and failed to address the central role of gender equality in achieving international development goals). 12 The UN Secretary General Report questions the legitimacy of OECD-DAC as the leading force behind international processes on aid effectiveness and goes further to declare that A universal, multilateral institution, such as the United Nations, would be a natural venue for helping design and set up common procedures and reporting systems for aid flows, taking into account and building on, inter alia, DAC efforts. (para. 87, Follow-up to and implementation of the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Report of the Secretary-General A/62/217, 10 August 2007) www.gendermatters.eu 11

Action: how to promote gender equality into the HLF 3 and beyond? The HLF 3 is an opportunity to increase the visibility of gender equality and women s rights agenda in ongoing political discussions and decisions on aid effectiveness and the new aid modalities. All possible efforts should be made to turn the HLF 3 in an important step for the development of a gender-sensitive international development agenda supported by donors, national governments and civil society focusing on: Increase of ODA in support of gender sensitive programmes Monitoring of the gender impact of development policies and programmes Increased involvement of women s rights advocates in accountability mechanisms and national development planning and budgeting processes Partner countries (with the support of UNIFEM and its partners) need to reiterate their commitment towards gender equality supported by examples of integration of gender issues in national development planning and by engaging in key processes on gender and aid effectiveness. Women s organisations should strengthen their co-operation and alliances with other CSOs and increase their influence on international and regional processes on aid effectiveness. This is an initiative to continue beyond Ghana. It needs resources and political support of multilateral organizations and partner countries that are active (champions) in the promotion of gender equality. Players such as GENDERNET and UNIFEM need to collaborate with a view to reversing the trend of seeing gender equality as a donor driven policy issue. Gender equality should be seen as a commitment integrated in partner countries national development agenda, which needs increased resources from donor agencies. Joint, targeted events should be organized to formulate and promote common policy messages on gender equality to influencing the preparatory processes of HLF 3. (E.g. 12 national consultations on gender and aid effectiveness organized by the EC/ UN Partnership with a view to contribute to HLF 3 see www.gendermatters.eu for more information on these consultations) Contribute with evidence based on analytical work on implications of aid effectiveness for gender equality in the regional preparatory events with the objective to increase the integration of gender and women s rights issues in the official outcomes and discussions. Multilateral organizations, donors and partners countries, as well as CSOs have a key role in this process; while coordination among the various stakeholders is key in achieving a gender-sensitive outcome of the Ghana HLF (see for example, the AWID-WIDE meeting and the Dublin + 1 workshop). Gender equality advocates (national women s machineries, partner country governments, UNIFEM, women s organizations, etc) should monitor carefully the preparation of the menu of options for the Accra Action Agenda and provide draft language on the official document in close collaboration with www.gendermatters.eu 12

the OECD DAC work streams, including GENDERNET 13. Monitoring of the preparation of Paris Declaration implementation assessments (e.g. 2008 OECD Monitoring Survey and Accra Progress Report) should also be at the centre of gender-sensitive advocacy initiatives. A maximum representation of gender equality advocates (Ministries of Women, women s organizations, UNIFEM, etc) should be ensured at the HLF3 to ensure coverage of all planned events. It is also necessary to ensure collaboration among partners that support gender equality, who participate in the official negotiations where the official documents are agreed upon. 13 Feedback from the different OECD-DAC work-streams (including GENDERNET) on the first draft of the HLF 3 Progress Report is due in February 2008 and contribution of key issues, messages and actionable commitments linked to the Accra Action Agenda in March 2008. www.gendermatters.eu 13

Calendar of activities Date Title Venue Other information 2008 Financing for Development (FfD) Preparatory Processes with exact dates and structure to be determined General Assembly Informal Consultations Chaired by Egypt & Norway UN Regional Commissions January 2008 CSO Sub-regional workshop, preparation for International Conference in Ottawa Rwanda CSO/EFF AG 19-20 January 2008 High-level Symposium: "Results-oriented development cooperation: pursuing national priorities" (in preparation for the 2008 Development Cooperation Forum) Cairo, Egypt ECOSOC 1-2 February 2008 Consultations for women's organizations on Aid Effectiveness Ottawa, Canada UNIFEM 3-6 February 2008 International Conference, preceded by global CSO meeting WP-EFF AG refines synthesis, continues work on "good practices" papers Ottawa, Canada WP-EFF - CSO/EFF AG, CCIC 7-8 February 2008 CSO-EFF Advisory Group Meeting CSO/EFF AG 25 February - 7 March 2008 Commission on the Status of Women- 52nd session. Priority theme: Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women New York, USA DAW. http://www.un.org/wome nwatch/daw/csw/52sess.htm March 2008 Pre-Accra Regional Workshop number 1 WP-EFF 5 March 2008 OECD-DAC Joint Venture on Managing for Development Results (JV-MfDR) Meeting Paris, France WP-EFF, OECD 6 March 2008 OECD-DAC Joint Venture on Managing for Development Results (JV-MPARIS DECLARATION) Meeting Paris, France WP-EFF, OECD 12-14 March 2008 Dublin + 1 Workshop (see in pg 7) London, UK DFID, OECD-DAC, and various networks www.gendermatters.eu 14

Date Title Venue Other information 13-14 March 2008 OECD-DAC Joint Venture on Public Financial Management (JV-PFM) Meeting Paris, France WP-EFF, OECD April 2008 Four Asia Sub-regional Meetings (second round) AsDB April 2008 Special High-level Meeting of ECOSOC with the Breton Woods institutions, WTO and UNCTAD UNHQ ECOSOC, BWI, WTO and UNCTD 20-25 April 2008 Twelfth Session of UNCTAD: "Addressing the opportunities and challenges of globalization for development" Accra, Ghana UNCTAD 22-23 April 2008 Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Meeting (second round) IADB April/ May 2008 Africa Regional Consultation (second round) Kigali, Rwanda AfDB May 2008 CS0-EFF Advisory Group Meeting CSO/EFF AG May 2008 Pre-Accra Regional Workshop #3 WP-EFF June 2008 Pre-Accra Regional Workshop #4 WP-EFF July 2008 First biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum New York, USA ECOSOC 2-3 July 2008 WP-EFF Plenary Meeting Paris, France WP-EFF, OECD 31 August - 1 September 2008 CSO Forum on Aid Effectiveness Accra, Ghana EFF AG 2-4 September 2008 Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness Accra, Ghana Government of Ghana, OECD DAC, WB, UNDP (for UN) 13-14 October 2008 (projected date) 2008 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Washingt on, D.C. WB and IMF 29 November - 3 December 2008 Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus Doha, Qatar UN www.gendermatters.eu 15