prioritization and implementation plan - Cooperazione Italiana allo ...

The data will be further used to guide ministries
and agencies about various aspects of ANDS
implementation and future planning.
The Government of Afghanistan is committed to
achieving greater transparency and accountability
for its performance; it will systematically review
the matrices of intended results contained in this
ANDS Prioritization and Implementation Plan at
six month intervals through semi-annual and
annual conferences. These rigorous technical
reviews will be undertaken with an aim to identify
gaps in implementation and to propose necessary
corrective actions, in consultation with key
Government, Parliament, civil society, and private
sector partners. Only through such a carefully
planned and organized monitoring and
coordination process can the understanding of what
makes a successful program be realized, allowing
for further National Priority Programs to be
identified or existing programs to be scaled-up in
subsequent years.
EFFECTIVE OFF-BUDGET DEVELOPMENT FINANCE
As a key milestone towards more effective
implementation, the Government of Afghanistan
and its development partners agreed at the London
Conference, held in January, to work together to
increase assistance through the Government’s
central budget to 50% over the next two years.
This commitment represents a critical shift in
financing for development, increasing the ability of
Afghans to deliver Afghan-led, effective and costefficient
National Priority Programs. Through its
Financial and Economic Reform Program detailed
in Volume II, the Government is fulfilling its
respective commitments to its partners to
strengthen the capacity of Government to
effectively design and implement programming,
while demonstrating the highest standards of
transparency and accountability in the management
of its finances. It is also setting out closely related
economic reforms that demonstrate the
Government’s commitment to a stable, sustainable,
and strong economy to provide an effective
framework for improving development outcomes.
Off-budget programs will, nevertheless, remain a
key part of the development portfolio for the foreseeable
future. The Government recognizes that
the capacity of Government channels to absorb
assistance is limited – and some of its development
partners also have legal impediments to on-budget
assistance. It is, therefore, a priority for the
Government that the effectiveness of off-budget
development assistance also improves.
To ensure that all development activities
undertaken directly contribute to shared
development goals, the Government and its
international partners have agreed to observe seven
key principles, based on the Paris Declaration of
Aid Effectiveness, for off-budget programs.
Specific criteria to fulfill these principles are set
out in the 2010 “Operational Guide: Criteria for
Effective Off-Budget Development Finance”,
contained in Volume II. In particular, international
partners must ensure that all off-budget programs
are designed, reported on regularly, and evaluated
with meaningful input by the Government, respond
directly to Afghan priorities, and are in full
accordance with Afghan laws.
For every off-budget program supported,
international partners should seek to ensure
sustainability and to build both private and public
Afghan capacities. Externally funded, international
partner-led programs that comply with these
principles will be certified by the Ministry of
Finance and presented in the Government of
Afghanistan’s comprehensive national budget.
This budget will serve Afghan citizens and their
international partners as a primary tool for
development planning and advancing Afghan
development policy priorities, giving a more
comprehensive picture of development activities
and their costs in Afghanistan.
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