Ladies and Gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs: Representatives of…

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs:

Representatives of governments, parliaments, civil society, donors, and
international organizations:

Let me ask you to take a look around at this gathering. We're at least 180
people, and we represent at least 35 African countries, around 10 donor
countries, and at least 5 multilateral associations and institutions. We speak
a host of different languages, and we bring a multitude of different
perspectives.

Amid all this diversity, what stands out for me is that we all gathered here
for the same purpose. We are all driven by a strong desire to help make sure
that development resources are used as effectively as possible to bring about
real development that improves the lives of real people.

As we all know, the upcoming High-Level Forum in Accra will be the latest
milestone in a process that has been evolving over the last few years. You
know, we really have come a long way together. Even five years ago, we
could barely think of having some of the conversations that have taken place
here in Kigali. I hasten to point out, however, that on both sides--partner
countries as well as donors--we still have quite a way to go. That's why the
development community will be meeting in Accra in a few months: to
review where we've been and to lay an even stronger foundation for making
greater progress as we meet the evolving challenges of development.

If the Accra Forum is to accomplish what it should, its preparation must
involve the widest possible participation. And that is what brought us all
here to Kigali. We who organized and sponsored this workshop wanted to
provide a forum in which a wide spectrum of Africans who are involved in
their countries' development issues could meet, compare notes, describe
their experiences, express their concerns, and create uniquely African
messages that will inform and enrich the Accra event and agenda.

No 10-minute summary could do justice to the breadth and richness of the
dialogue here. However, I want to mention a few of the main ideas that have
struck me as I listened to the discussions.

We heard that countries are pushing for greater ownership of their own
development process and working to shift the balance from partnership to
stronger ownership. We heard that ownership requires countries to exercise
leadership, develop a vision and agenda that are shared by a wide range of
stakeholders, and define clear aid management policies. Equally, ownership
requires donors to align their interventions with countries' own priorities--
not just their strategies, but also in implementation. Donor alignment is not
always consistent with country priorities, and better division of labor, led by
countries, is key if important sectors are not to be left behind as donors fund
their favorite sectors. One area that raised many concerns was conditionality;
and we heard a call to move toward mutually agreed objectives and targets
instead of conditionality.

On managing for development results, we heard that there has been progress
over the past few years: more countries are linking their budgets to expected
results, for example.       We also heard good examples in mutual
accountability--for instance, the use of an independent monitoring group.
We heard about the growing role of communities of practice, which allow
practitioners to exchange information and help build capacity. But we also
heard about the need for countries to develop statistics systems on which
managing and monitoring can be based, and the need to build capacity in
this area in both countries and donors. We heard concerns about the
difficulty of holding donors accountable for fulfilling their commitments.
We were reminded about the fundamental importance of accurate statistics.

In the area of harmonization and alignment, we heard a recognition that
partner countries need to strengthen their country systems so that donors can
rely on them, but we heard even stronger frustration about donors' apparent
reluctance to use countries' systems even after reforms have been made.
Many people pointed out that using a country's systems is itself a way to
strengthen them. We heard a call for donors to untie their aid. We also
heard that donors need to improve the predictability of their financing.

On approaches for addressing the particular challenges of fragile states and
areas that are affected by conflict, we heard a plea for the development
community to give greater attention to the causes of conflict and ways to
prevent it, to develop appropriate instruments for providing assistance to
fragile states, and to close the gaps between humanitarian and development
aid. We heard a call for attention to establishing peace, stability, and social
cohesion so that aid can be effective in these difficult environments. We
heard calls for additional financing in the post-arrears, post-conflict phase,
including a proposal to establish a global stabilization fund in fragile
situations.

As regards the sectoral applications of the Paris principles, we heard that the
sectorwide approach is an important instrument to make aid more effective
at the sector level. The approach should start from a results-oriented policy
and strategy dialogue between stakeholders, underpinned by good sector
analysis. We heard that sector aid must be put on budget, with the Ministry
of Finance coordinating closely with sector ministries; and we heard about
the importance of not earmarking funding.

Today the very architecture of aid changing--aid is increasingly being
provided through earmarked vertical/global funds and new donors. We heard
about ensuring the quality of this scaled-up assistance, by bringing all
donors under a common platform (led by government), supported by high-
level political commitment from donors and partner countries, aligned with
country priorities and systems, and transparent to all stakeholders. On the
other hand, we heard a recommendation that traditional donors take note of
the speed with which these new donors can provide funding. Respecting the
principle of ownership, global funds, too need to be aligned with country
priorities and systems. We heard about the importance of ensuring that these
funds are on budget and fit into sectorwide dialogue. We heard that long-
term commitments are needed to ensure the sustainability of the programs
supported by these funds.

In addition to all this, we heard a number of recurring themes that refer to all
of the areas of discussion. In particular, we were urged to include
considerations of gender equality and the empowerment of women--in all
policies and in the Accra Agenda for Action. We were reminded of the
fundamental importance of building capacity--at all levels, in all of these
areas, in both donors and partner countries. We heard about the increasingly
important roles of parliaments in the development enterprise as an
expression of the national vision. We discussed the growing contribution of
civil society in the work of development, especially in strengthening
government's accountability to its stakeholders, and we heard about how
important it is for civil society also to be transparent and accountable. We
heard about the unique advantages of South-South cooperation and sharing.

As I said, these are a few of the main ideas we heard over the past two days.
Time prevents me from mentioning every point that was raised, and from
doing justice to the complexity of these issues. However, none of them are
lost. We will take the summaries prepared by yesterday's groups to Maputo
later in May, and we will transmit them to the Accra Steering Committee.
They will also be available on the website for the High-Level Forum. They
will be a rich source of materials that will contribute to the preparation of
that event, and they will help ensure that the voice of Africa is heard, and
heard clearly.

We must remember that our work together here has been aimed at
substantiating the work of the nine Roundtables in Accra and contribute
Africa's voice, issues, and concerns to the preparation of the Accra Agenda
for Action. We need to ensure that the AAA as a political-level commitment
at Accra addresses high-value actions that contribute to raising the level of
development impact. As you go back to your capitals, it is important for you
to bear this in mind as you prepare your ministers for Accra.

Mesdames et messieurs, ladies and gentlemen,

In closing, I want to bring up one other thing I heard during the past two
days--frustration among partner countries, donors, civil society, and
parliaments over the pace of change. Perhaps a certain amount of frustration
isn't all bad; it helps us keep the heat on our efforts. But we must take care
that it does not spill over into antagonism. Our different approaches stem
from different mandates, different legal frameworks, different histories,
different roles. But despite these differences we are all united in pursuit of a
single goal--using development resources as effectively as possible to make
a difference in people's lives.

In a few minutes this workshop will be over. But let us not end the dialogue
here. Let us continue talking together and working together until we reach
the goal we seek. I am convinced that--with the kind of dedication I have
seen among the participants here, and with a generous measure of patience
and mutual confidence--we will succeed.

Thank you.