Capacity development is fundamental to sustainable poverty reduction and experts are expecting it to be an important topic at an upcoming international meeting on aid effectiveness.
While humanitarian interventions steal the headlines for emergency responses to famines or conflict recovery, it’s patient investment in capacity development that can produce some of the most sustainable benefits of international aid.
Capacity development is a change process that enables a country, organisation or individual to manage their affairs in the most beneficial way.
Since emerging as a concept in the 1990s, capacity development has become part of the lexicon of nearly every international aid organisation in operation. Its widespread use can lead to confusion over understanding and interpretation of the concept.
But, according to Nils Boesen Director of the Capacity Development Group at the United Nations Development Programme, differences should not detract from the fact that large organisations like UNDP and the European Commission share a common basis for understanding capacity development.
“I think we all agree that capacity development will only happen if there’s strong ownership, if it’s driven by partners and not by development agencies,” said Mr Boesen. “We can support it but we cannot do it for others.”
This same principle is encapsulated in the EC’s Capacity Development Toolkit (link1), a practical guide for development practitioners on how to incorporate capacity development into their day-to-day operations.
| Toolkit for Capacity Development, 2009, pg 6 | ||
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Development partners can support CD processes, but they cannot manage the actual CD of others. This basic insight has four important implications: CD must be owned by those who develop their capacity—otherwise it simply does not happen. External partners cannot design and implement CD. They can support CD processes or help create the right external incentives for CD processes. Those setting out to develop their capacity must be leading and driving assessment and formulation processes aiming at CD to such a degree that their ownership and commitment remains intact or even boost. Implementation of CD processes must be organised so that leadership and ownership is strongly in the hand of those who develop their capacity. |
Encouragingly, many development professional expect capacity development could be one of the hot topics at the upcoming High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness taking place in Busan, Korea this November.
The event looks set to be a large affair, pulling in some 2,000 delegates from around the world. Attendees are expected to re-state the principles enshrined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness some six years ago.
And the spotlight is on partner country representatives to take the lead in shaping a roadmap for future action and identify new priority areas.
“After Busan, I’m sure we’ll be able to shape an agenda with partners and driven by partners in the South,” said Mr Boesen. “It’s encouraging that a number of African countries, not least, are focusing strongly on capacity development in what they’re saying should be prioritised.”
“I think we can make a strong agenda post-Busan,” Mr Boesen added, “that focuses on concrete activities at country level that aims at forming inclusive compact partnerships, coalitions for change and capacity development, at sector level, at country level.”
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