Alignment of aid with country priorities and systems

Alignment – one of the five principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness – refers to the provision of aid by donors in ways that respond to partner countries’ development priorities, supporting and using partner countries’ own systems and institutions. The Accra Agenda for Action placed greater emphasis on the systematic use of country systems by donors and the provision of support to partner countries in strengthening these systems. This chapter reviews the progress made and challenges encountered in implementing the Paris and Accra commitments that relate to alignment. Drawing on evidence from the 2011 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration and other relevant evidence, it documents progress and challenges in the alignment of aid to partner countries’ policies and strategies the alignment of conditions associated with aid the extent to which partner countries’ own systems have improved since 2005, and in turn whether donors are implementing their commitments on the use of country systems, as well as efforts towards aid untying.