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Forum for the Future of Aid

Southern Voices for Change in the International Aid System Project

The Forum on the Future of Aid is an online community dedicated to research and opinions about how the international aid system currently works and where it should go next

organised by ODI

Multilateral Development Effectiveness Summaries

Source: UK Department for International Development

DFID has published Multilateral Development Effectiveness Summaries (MDES) for 14 multilateral organisations. The purpose of the MDES is to provide a snap-shot of the strengths and weaknesses of different multilateral organisations across four key dimensions of effectiveness, namely:

Building for the Future - “How is the organisation building for the future through sharing information, learning and innovating?” This area considers whether the organisation is committed to a culture of continual learning and improvement, how it manages information and whether it is investing in its staff.

Managing Resources - “How is the organisation managing its activities and processes?” This area looks at how the organisation uses its financial and human resources. It includes indicators such as resource allocation criteria, disbursement ratios, staff recruitment, postings and promotions processes and degree of decentralisation.

Partnerships - “How is the organisation engaging with other development partners?” This area looks at how the organisation works with other development partners including developing country governments themselves. It encompasses Paris Declaration Indicators on alignment and harmonisation.

Country/Global Performance - “How well is the organisation performing either at the country level and/or at the global level?” This final area considers any information which is available on performance and impact either at the country and global level. This includes results of any evaluations, by the organisation themselves or by other organisations, information on portfolio quality, any data on programme targets and any other indicators on outcomes and impact.

It is important to note that while the MDES include a number of indicators on how multilaterals monitor and evaluate their results on the ground, they do not in themselves measure actual development impact.

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