Country Ownership of PRSPs: Experience in 4 countries

1. Bolivia (EBRP 3/01) Ghana (GPRS 2/03) Kyrgyz Republic (NPRS 1/03) Senegal (DSRP 4/02) Country Ownership of PRSPs: Experience in 4 countries

2. Objectives • Document and synthesize experiences where the PRSP process is enhancing country ownership of national development strategy (formulation and early implementation) • Enhance cross-Bank collaboration – OPCS, ESSD, PREM, WBI, country teams • Facilitate cross-country learning • PRSP teams (government, internal partners) • Staff of development assistance agencies (multilateral, bilateral) • Provide basis for deepening country ownership of national development strategies including through alignment, harmonization and stronger coordination

3. Participation and Country Ownership • Participation: the process through which stakeholders influence and share control over priority setting, policy-making, resource allocations, and access to public goods and services (PRSP Sourcebook) • Country ownership: the broadening of consensus within and between the executive, parliament, local governments and internal and external partners on pro-poor policies within national development strategies

4. 5 Factors of Country Ownership of PRSPs • Leadership within and participation across the executive • Institutionalized participation (participation through existing/permanent institutions and integrated into established decision making processes) • The role and impact of parliament, local government, internal partners • The role and impact of external partners • Political and economic factors **Eight Preliminary Messages**

5. 1. Country ownership of PRSPs is dynamic • Emphasis on country ownership still relatively new, history of participation relatively short in many countries. • Capacity constraints pervasive in the executive, parliament, local government, internal partners. • Entrenched practices, vested interests slow to change. • A continuous objective: countries with country ownership substantially in place strive to deepen it. Is not complete in any one PRSP cycle.

6. 2. Leadership and coordination within the executive are key • Kyrgyz Republic – champion with strong ties to President - Permanent coordinating body in Presidency – CDF and NPRS are national development vision and strategy. • Ghana – strong Presidential leadership – GPRS is national development strategy satisfying constitutional requirement for planning. • Senegal – • DSRP coordinating body within MEF - need to clarify the role of the DSRP in relation to other national strategies that satisfy the constitutional requirement for planning and are championed within Planning. • Line ministries developed operational plans derived from DSRP – focal points within each ministry report on progress to interminsterial council presided by Prime Minister with plans to meet, however, a minimum of once a year.

7. 3. Institutionalized participation can have a stronger impact • Ghana – NED after 2 years of experience becoming vehicle for systematic information exchange between executive and internal partners. • Kyrgyz Republic – consultations used existing structure of regional local government bringing strong regional dimension into NPRS. • Senegal – institutional structure for implementation altered during consultations to give elected regional councils a leadership role in monitoring and evaluation.

8. 4. National Dialogue is more effective when it is institutionalized, well-timed and transparent • Senegal – systematic, thorough consultation, validation and documentation of participation with civil servants involved in consultation also involved in implementation. • Ghana – GPRS annex with all comments from civil society as basis for ongoing discussion, but consultants who managed consultations no longer with government.

9. 5. Parliament’s impact has been limited but strengthening parliamentary committees may be a point of entry • Senegal – Finance Committee organized DSRP discussion. • Kyrgyz Republic – The Committee on Budget and Policy organized hearings on the NPRS. • Ghana – A Special Committee on the GPRS established.

10. 6. Local development plans can become a vehicle to involve the poor • Kyrgyz Republic – local development plans discussed at grass roots level through traditional “assemblies of the elders” and village gatherings and becoming a vehicle for participation in implementation – executive devising a database to ensure their consistency with NPRS objectives. • Senegal – Participatory Poverty Survey gathered quantitative and qualitative input from grass roots level, with findings validated at local level workshops, and then integrated into Regional Integrated Development Plans used as basis for final strategy. Decentralization key part of PRS in all countries. But transfer of resources in line with locally elected bodies’ responsibilities essential.

11. 7. Umbrella NGOs or NGO Networks can facilitate dialogue with government • Senegal –“Collectif” formed by CSOs that banded together to channel ideas during DSRP consultations. Many NGOs have the capacity to participate actively and constructively in strategy formulation and implementation. • Ghana – Civil Society Council (CIVISOC) created for SAPRI brings together NGOs, religious organizations, workers organizations, think tanks, community groups, and small and medium enterprises. But internal legitimacy is an issue.

12. 8. External Partners can enhance country ownership by supporting national dialogue and aligning assistance with the PRSP • Bolivia – Special fund to support participation in Dialogue 2000 managed by UNDP and financed by a number of external partners. • Ghana – MDBS multi donor budget support – mini-CG co-led by government influencing well articulated sector programs – SWAps - PPA government led exercise supported by Bank. • Kyrgyz Republic – external partners supported drafting of environment section of NPRS by financing and training national experts. But financing staff positions and strategy consultations outside of government participation structures can undermine country ownership.