From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec

FROM POVERTY TO POWERand the UN provide forums where rich and poor countries meet to tryto manage their overall trade and political relationships. No suchforum exists for aid.The UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)could become one, or alternatively the rich countries’ invitation-onlyclub, the OECD, could expand the inclusion of poor countries in itsinfluential Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and embracenew donors such as China and the Gates Foundation, which currentlyoperate without even the minimal peer review offered by the DAC.The voice of aid recipients could be strengthened by creating aninternational Ombudsman who would investigate complaints ofabuse or broken promises. Or recipients could band together, turningthe tables by regularly compiling and publishing their own appraisalsof the quality of aid from the various providers. There is nothing likecoming last in a league table to shame politicians and civil servantsinto action.Alternatively, aid could take a leaf out of the oil industry’s book,and introduce an ‘Aid Transparency Initiative’ in which both donorsand recipients would publish their aid agreements so that civil societyorganisations, parliaments, and others find it easier to track where themoney goes and hold them to account if it fails to benefit poor peopleand communities.MAKING AID WORKThis book argues that the redistribution of the voice, power, assets,and opportunities that constitute development is most likely to occurthrough a combination of active citizenship and effective states. Aidmust be measured against its effectiveness in building the capacities ofboth state and society to address poverty and inequality.Despite moves to improve the system, aid remains hampered bypolitics, arrogance, and self-interest. In the future, a higher proportionof aid-receiving countries are likely to be those with weak states andprofound economic and political problems. At the same time, theproliferation of donors will complicate the already slow-movingefforts to harmonise donor activities around the Paris Declaration.Much of the force for change will have to come from outside thecosy aid world, building on the progress already made by developing-378