4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4)

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The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) took place in Busan, South Korea, from 29 November to 1 December 2011.

Busan has been a crucial point in multilateral negotiations on international aid and development cooperation which started at the first High Level Forum in Rome back in 2003. It was a monumental event to take stock of the progress made in delivering aid and furthering development activities across the globe, and to make collective plans for the future of aid and development for all stakeholders.

For civil society organizations, HLF4 is a particularly significant milestone as it marks the first time that civil society participates as a full and equal stakeholder in aid effectiveness negotiations alongside governments and donors. It was thus a unique opportunity to influence development cooperation from the point of view of people’s organizations and further the shift from a technical aid effectiveness approach to development effectiveness based on long term sustainability, addressing the root causes of poverty and the realization of human rights.

Given the current financial crisis facing governments, donors and citizens, as well as the increasing levels of poverty, conflict and fragility around the world, there has never been a more important time in history to work to improve the effectiveness of aid delivery and development activities.

Here below you will find information, links and resources on the lead up to HLF4 as well on the CSO participation

For more information on the main outcomes of this milestone event where civil society took place on an equal basis with governments and donors, please refer to the Busan Partnership page on the Open Forum website!

The CSO Strategy Meeting on the 14 and 15 of March 2011 finalized the key asks that civil society will be advocating for in the run-up to HLF4:

CSOs on the Road to Busan: Key Messages and Proposals

• Download the CSO Key Asks document for HLF4
• Download a summary of the document, for quick reference
• Support the CSO Key Asks for HLF4 - SIGN ON to the document!

The common messages in the CSO Key Asks are supplemented by the CSO Video Statement called "Civil Society Voices on the Road to the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness":

• Video Part 1 (What is Development Effectiveness? Why not just Aid Effectiveness? Successes and Challenges so far?)
• Video Part 2 (What Civil Society wants to see from the Forum - and how to achieve it)

As part of the CSO Key Asks, the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness will also be a key civil society contribution and statement towards HLF4.

In addition, the Multi-Stakeholder Task Team on CSO Effectiveness and Enabling Environment, consisting of partner government, donor and CSO representatives, has completed a series of demands for Busan with a mutual declaration of what should constitute an enabling environment for civil society organizations to be effective.

Along with the consolidated International Framework and CSO Key Messages and Proposals, groups of regional and thematic CSOs are also putting forward their own statements in the run up to HLF4 – these complement the consolidated CSO Key Messages and Proposals.

Click here to view the list of emerging regional and sectoral CSO statements for HLF4, and send us your own messages to add to this list!

Civil Society participated actively during the HLF4 events. In the context of these activities, a Global Civil Society Forum, took place in Busan on November 26 to 28 2011.

This CSO event was co-organized by BetterAid, the Korea Civil Society Forum on International Development Cooperation (KoFID) and the Open Forum. It was OPEN TO ALL CSOs WISHING TO PARTICIPATE.

See the Busan Global Civil Society Forum documents:

• Draft agenda including list of Self Organized Workshops

• Final Report with information on all events

The Fourth High Level Forum was a milestone opportunity for civil society representatives to participate in discussions with other development cooperation actors. Below, their presentations and speaking notes during this event:

Also, see the Executive Summary of CSO Participation in the HLF-4

Read about CSO participant selection process for HLF4 here. On this page you can also find out about the results of the selection process, and which 300 CSOs will represent civil society in Busan.

HLF4 Links and Agenda

• HLF4 website

• HLF4 blog

• HLF4 Proposed Format

• Guidelines for HLF4 Structure and Agenda

• List and description of Side Events

• Knowledge and Innovation Space Workshops and Mini-debates Program

• Knowledge and Innovation Space E-posters List

• Building Blocks for post-Busan implementation

• HLF4 Online Library, where you can access the International Framework as well as the Advocacy and Implementation Toolkits from the Open Forum!

Draft versions and civil society responses to the draft versions of the Busan Outcome Document

Other HLF4 relevant documents and links

• Survey on Inclusive Ownership - OECD Issue Brief (November)

• Ownership and Accountability - A Synthesis of Key Findings and Messages produced for the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4), Cluster A, WP-EFF, OECD (November)

• Strengthening Ownership and Accountability - Summary of Recommendations and Terrain for Debate, OECD (November)

• Concept Note for the HLF4 Transparency Building Block (November)

• Orchestration Note: Pushing the Boundaries on Transparency for Better Predictability, Engagement and Accountability prepared for the HLF4 Day 2 Plenary (November)

• Working Party on Aid Effectiveness - Letter from the Chair on the process for the finalisation of the BOD (28 October)

• Working Party on Aid Effectiveness-Draft Summary Record of Discussion on 27 October 2011

• Working Party on Aid Effectiveness-Draft Summary of the 18th meeting (6-7 October 2011)

• Towards More Effective Aid: briefing from WP-EFF co-chairs, October 2011

• How DAC members work with CSOs: An overview - final version of the OECD study

• Letter from the OECD Working Party on Aid Effectiveness co-chairs from April 2011

• Achieving Progress for Development Effectivenss in Busan: An Overview of CSO Evidence - Reality of Aid Report

• Country Ownership of development: Political Correctness or a practical key to better aid?

• Policy Brief from Danish Institute for International Studies (order free copies of the evaluation report here AND watch videos on the evaluation on the OECD YouTube channel

Around 2000 international delegates - ministers, parliamentarians, heads of state agencies, as well as representatives of the UN and other multilateral institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector - will convene to review the global progress in improving the impact and value for money of development aid and envisage new commitments to ensure that aid reduces poverty and make lives better.

HLF4 preparations are led by the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness of OECD-DAC.

Very importantly for CSOs, HLF4 is the first time that Civil Society will be present as a full and equal stakeholder in negotiations. CSO representatives will put forward the conclusions of the BetterAid and Open Forum processes for endorsement.

HLF4 - History

The High Level Fora on Aid Effectiveness of the OECD so far took place in Rome (HLF1 in 2003), Paris (HLF2 in 2005), and Accra (HLF3 in 2008).

Until HLF3 in Accra, the international aid effectiveness discourse was essentially dominated by donor and partner governments.

The Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) recognized CSO’s as development actors in their own right to whom distinct effectiveness standards and enabling environment should apply.

Specifically AAA paragraph 20 states:

• "We will deepen our engagement with civil society organisations", including provision of "an enabling environment that maximizes their contributions to development."

HLF4 - General Objectives

HLF4 aims to:

• Assess global progress in improving the quality of aid against the agreed commitments of Paris and Accra
• Share global experiences in delivering the best results and
• Agree on a Busan Outcome Document to further enhance efforts globally and within countries to make aid more effective in reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

HLF4 Stakeholders and Democratic Ownership