Policy Coherence for Development
Recent developments from a donor perspective
Frederik Haver Droeze
Policy Coherence Unit
The Netherlands
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Helsinki symposium
June 2010
The setting
• Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) is increasingly seen as the
key to modern development cooperation.
• PCD is part of a search for a holistic approach to development and
coherent global policies.
• That wider policies matter is not a new insight, but the systematic
translation into PCD has developed in the last 5 – 10 years.
• The changing global setting has given a strong impetus: crises,
growing interconnectedness, global public goods, G-20.
• Non-aid policies have an enormous (underdeveloped) potential for
contributing to the MDGs.
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Specific PCD instruments have been introduced
• Mechanisms developed in donor countries like the Netherlands
whole-of-government approach, PCD Unit, reporting.
• EU
development consensus, biennial report, workprogramme, new
PCD strategy with focus on five themes, report EP.
• OECD
MC declaration, synthesis report, good institutional practices,
toolkit, DAC reflection exercise, flagship PCD report,
development council.
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Lessons learned (1)
•PCD is about political choices.
Political weight, public awareness, external pressure,
financial power, all these matter more than formal structures.
• Nevertheless mechanisms are needed: the general
framework developed by ODI and OECD can help, but ..
•Mechanisms need to be country-specific: no blueprints.
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Lessons learned (2)
• Difficult to make PCD operational and show results.
• Lack of knowledge and focus are still major impediments.
• Missing link with national strategies of developing countries,
policy space is often the key.
• PCD is not an alternative for aid.
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Examples: success or failure?
Doha development round
Climate adaptation, the Copenhagen conference
Duty free market access for least developed countires
Agriculture, subsidies
Security and development nexus, three D’s
Intellectual property rights, the TRIPS+ agreement
Debt restructuring arrangements
Tax and illicit flows
Migration
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Challenges
• Create commitment at the global level: monitoring of
multilateral rulemaking, MDG8, role UN.
• Highlight results and impact: developing indicators,
accoutanbility.
• Keep focus in a broader development policy.
• Connect with the local and national level in developing
countries.
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