10th IFAD/NGO Consultation, Pune, India, 2000

IFAD/NGOs/Governments: Tripartite Partnerships for Poverty Alleviation and Food Security through Programmes and Projects

The 10^th IFAD/NGO Consultation was held in Pune, India, 29 May-2 June 2000, with the participation of 35 NGOs from developing and transition-economy countries, six NGOs from Europe and North America, eight developing country government officials, 15 IFAD staff and a number of special guests and speakers.

The choice of the theme derived from the recognition that, in order to increase the responsiveness and sustainability of development investments in poverty alleviation, there is a need for increasing support to decentralized planning and administration of public services, community participation in public resource planning, and direct community action to service community needs. These are areas in which IFAD is increasingly providing support, in which many NGOs have acquired years of experience, and where the support of government in providing a conducive policy and institutional environment is essential.

The choice of this theme must also be understood against a subtle and gradual shift in development policy and development assistance, at large, from a supply-driven approach towards one that increasingly emphasizes the direct delivery of resources to communities in direct response to community-generated demand. Thus another aim of the Consultation was to examine the implications of this shift and the current trend to decentralize government bodies for NGOs and for the prospects of effective multi-stakeholder partnerships for poverty eradication.

Background Documentation

The thematic content of the Consultation derived from five case studies by independent consultants of IFAD projects with extensive NGO involvement. One case study in each of IFAD’s five regional divisions was conducted: in Zambia (for Eastern and Southern Africa); in Benin for (Western and Central Africa); in Chile (for Latin America and the Caribbean); in India (for Asia and the Pacific); and in Armenia (for the Near East and North Africa, which includes countries of eastern Europe and countries of central Asia.)

The studies served several purposes

• to examine diverse project experiences in order to illustrate the most important aspects — both successes and shortcomings — of the collaboration between government, IFAD and NGOs;
• to determine the extent to which collaboration had supported community participation, including that of the poorest elements, and community-planning and decision-making;
• to assess the policy environment in which collaboration took place; and
• to measure the value added of the collaboration.

The case studies involved field visits and consultations with project personnel, beneficiaries, government representatives, NGOs and IFAD staff.

An overview paper was also prepared, synthesizing the findings and experiences presented by the case studies. The case studies and the overview paper were submitted to the 10^th IFAD/NGO Consultation as a basis for discussions that would lead to recommendations on the challenges and responsibilities facing each partner, the new types of relationships that need to be forged and the new instruments to be developed to maximize and harmonize the contributions that each partner can make towards poverty reduction.

Structure of the Consultation

The first part of the Consultation was dedicated to debating the issues that emerged from the case studies and the overview paper and making recommendations for the future. In the first round of group discussions, participants were requested to review and assess concrete attitudes, expectations, instruments, mechanisms, rules and regulations applying to the design, execution and evaluation of projects and programmes. They were also charged with identifying any factors that might impinge upon the formation of fruitful partnerships, based on the strengths and comparative advantage that each partner can bring to the realization of operations responsive and accountable to the poor. The groups were also expected to make concrete recommendations for changes that would facilitate the formation of such partnerships.

A second short round of group discussions focused on identifying strictly regional/country-specific issues.

The final round of the Consultation went beyond projects and programmes to confront the broader poverty agenda and the international poverty-reduction targets given to all partners. In this context, participants addressed the challenges facing all stakeholders to engage in broader alliances and partnerships, in policy dialogue and institutional development, in knowledge management and governance issues as well as what each partner can bring to the fulfillment of that mandate. A brainstorming session was held based on a presentation delivered by IFAD, "Challenges and Tasks Ahead". Following the brainstorming session, the participants formed working groups to focus on three prominent themes emerging from the presentation:

• grassroots empowerment processes;
• policy and institutional development processes; and
• knowledge development and sharing processes.

Consequently, the final session of the Consultation was dedicated to identifying and reaching a consensus as to the major domains of the broader agenda of rural poverty alleviation and to preparing a unified statement on how to move forward in strengthening and enriching collaboration and partnerships to effectively intervene within those domains.

The Consultation included a visit to the Maharashtra Rural Credit Project, one of the five IFAD supported projects involved in the case studies, and gave the participants a chance to meet not only the involved government officials and NGOs, but the village communities and self-help groups derived from this seven year project.

Finally, there was an informal evening session on IFAD’s Rural Poverty Report 2001.

Download the report of the Consultation