Since the Monterrey Conference of 2002, the development community – partner countries and donors alike – has been focusing on managing its work so as to achieve the maximum development results. This is not to say that development efforts never achieved results before 2002, but what is new is a shared understanding of the need to think about results, and ways to achieve them, from the beginning of any initiative, enterprise, or project –and then to monitor progress and continue shaping the effort so that the desired results are actually achieved.
At the international roundtable on results in Marrakech (February 2004), the development agencies endorsed five core principles on managing for results. More recently, at the Paris High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (March 2005), partner countries and donors endorsed the Paris Declaration, which contains six specific commitments related to managing for results – actions that they will take, separately and together, to “manage and implement aid in a way that focuses on the desired results and uses information to improve decision making.”
For those working on this still-young agenda, however, it is sometimes hard to know how and where to begin, whom to involve, and where to look for assistance. There are no absolute answers to these questions, because every country and agency has its own unique situation. Nevertheless, as some agencies and countries have tried this work, they have begun to mark a path that can be helpful to others. This Sourcebook compiles some 20 examples – illustrations of how different groups in different circumstances applied the principles of managing for results, what challenges they met, and how they attempted to meet those challenges. It is not intended as a road map, but rather as an idea book from which people can draw inspiration as they work to implement a results focus.
The Sourcebook is a product of the OECD-DAC Joint Venture on Managing for Development Results, a group of bilateral and multilateral donors – and, more recently, of partner country representatives – that are working to promote the implementation of the Paris commitments. The Sourcebook is available in both printed and electronic formats, and it will form the basis for a range of electronic and other learning opportunities.
Most of all, the Sourcebook is intended to be a living document. As new good practices emerge and more countries and agencies gain experience, we hope to add new case studies, continually updating the Sourcebook to make it as useful as possible.
We urge Sourcebook users to bookmark the Sourcebook website. There you will find the latest version of the Sourcebook, links to related information, and opportunities to ask questions, join in a dialogue about experiences, and contribute new case studies for the Sourcebook.
We look forward to your joining with us in the expanding global partnership on managing for development results.
