A F R I L I N E Poverty Reduction Strategies
monitoring participation

African organizations are embarking on a project to monitor participation in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) process.


About the PRSPs

The annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September 1999 announced a new poverty focus in all their work in low-income countries, aiming to put poverty reduction--as embodied in the 2015 social targets of the UN system--at the heart of overall policy frameworks for low-income countries. The most immediate concrete outcome of this new approach was the announcement of the PRSPs. The PRSPs are intended to provide a new basis for development cooperation between developing countries and the international community. (1)

The PRSP is at the heart of the new anti-poverty framework of the World Bank and IMF and is intended to ensure that debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC Initiative and concessional loans from the international financial institutions does help to reduce poverty in the poorest, most indebted Southern countries. To achieve this, the PRSP is expected to be developed in a participatory way, to be 'nationally owned', and to lay out a policy framework and agenda to address poverty. (2)

One aspect of this is expected to be a new focus on participation: "In a new approach announced by the World Bank and IMF, civil society is being offered a part in shaping and implementing national anti-poverty strategies. In order to trigger debt relief, countries are being asked to produce a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper drawing on inputs from all sectors of society". (3)

The PRSPs will replace the former, tripartite Policy Framework Papers (PFPs) drawn up among a country, the World Bank and the IMF and will constitute the over-arching framework for lending to 'soft loan' countries. The PRSP is thus planned to be the basis for all donor and creditor relationships with these countries.

Of the 40 countries currently eligiple for HIPC debt relief, about 35 hope to have PRSPs in place by the end of 2000. To get approval for debt relief, they have to prepare a PRSP outlining their poverty reduction goals and their plans for attaining them. They must then demonstrate the progress towards these goals before any funds are released. There will be time pressure on both sides, with countries wanting to benefit from debt relief as soon as possible, and the IFIs wanting to show that they are moving rapidly. This in-built haste could undermine the proposed participation strategy goals.

According to the World Bank, the focus is on identifying--in a participatry manner--the poverty reduction outcomes a country wants to achieve, as well as the key public action (policy changes, institutional reforms, programs and projects) necessary to achieve these outcomes.

For a meaningful PRSP there are some key issues that need to be addressed, such as who should be involved. If a PRSP is to be meaningful, the poor need to be involved. Finding ways to engage the input of the poor is critical. Others with a significant stake include local governments, politicians and political parties, organizations representing the poor (e.g., community groups), religious leaders, trade unions, farmers' associations, NGOs, academic researchers and analyists, other sectors of the populations, donor agencies, the press and broadcast media.

Participation can happen at various stages of teh PRSP preocess and to varying degrees. It can range from simple information-sharing to extensive consultation and joint decision-making. It can be in situations where relevant stakeholders participate in or take on responsibility for monitoring the process and evaluating success. It can involve serious consultation, or it can be completely meaningless. Essentially, it depends largely on whether or not governments want a meaningful consultation.

The process of drawing up a PRSP will vary from country to country. Countries will need to map out their own process and define who needs to be involved, and when. Building meaningful participation into the process will be a challenge for all concerned, for some more than others. In some countries, government already consult with civil society when formulating and implementing policy. In others, they do not and participatory approaches are new and unfamiliar. In these countries there is little rapport between government and civil society actors. There may also be a question of capacity, as governments with no experience of public consultation and participation may need to build their capacities for this.

The new approach could offer an unprecedented opportunity for development efforts to re-focus on poverty reduction and for civil society organizations to influence public policy. But if the PRSP is to succeed in its ambitious objectives, building effective participation into the process will be essential.




Africa PRSP Monitoring Project

A rapid assessment, organized by the global committee of the NGO Working Group on the World Bank (NGOWGWB) examined the potential for and needs of a meaningful PRSP process and productin terms of the nature of the required product, the existing environment for such a process, the roles and capacities of stakeholders, the nature and quality of the relationships between them, and the implications of these for the PRSP process. This assessment was completed in Chad and is in its final stage in Ethiopia and Djibouti. Additional assessments are completed or in process on Cambodia, Georgia and Nicaragua. The results as they come in will be posted on this site, beginning November 18.

At the Seventh Africa Regional Consultation of the NGOWGWB and Joint Consultation with the World Bank, convened October 1-5, 2000 in Durban, South Africa, participants developed a plan and proposal for extending the Rapid Assessment exercise into a monitoring of participation in the PRSP processes in some 10 countries in Africa.

Those interested in participating in the monitoring project went back to their countries to enlist the consultation and support and participation of networks of organizations. "Capacity Audits" are underway, and several organizations and networks in African countries are beginning or are prepared to begin the process.

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