Trade Related Assistance: What Do Recent Evaluations Tell Us?
90 Pages Posted: 5 Feb 2007
Date Written: December 2006
Abstract
Evaluation enables donor agencies to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact of their development efforts. It is particularly vital in building knowledge and facilitating a results based management approach to aid delivery. Since the launch of the WTO Doha Development Agenda (DDA) in 2001, the international community has paid increased attention to trade-related assistance. Against this background, several bilateral donors and multilateral agencies have undertaken evaluations of their trade-related projects and programmes.
Trade-Related Assistance: What Do Recent Evaluations Tell Us? draws on key findings and recommendations emerging from available donor evaluation reports, assesses factors that have contributed to the success (or failure) of past programmes, and provides guidance for enhancing the effectiveness and impact of future trade-related assistance. It argues that despite some positive results, further improvements are necessary, in particular, with regards to donor programming, donor harmonisation and donor-recipient partnerships. Donors can enhance the effectiveness of trade-related assistance by better taking account of the basic principles of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. This report provides a timely input to the ongoing discussions among the aid and trade communities for effectively designing and delivering "aid for trade" as a complement to the DDA.
Keywords: trade-related assistance, aid for trade, evaluation, review, assessment, results, effectiveness
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