Aid Effectiveness Agenda

The Government of Canada has committed to making Canada's international assistance more efficient, focused, and accountable. In view of this approach, CIDA has undertaken steps to make its work more effective, in line with international agreements and recognized best practices.

CIDA's aim is to help people living in poverty in developing countries. It does so by supporting initiatives that are sustainable, have impact, and bring results to those intended. CIDA is now increasing its efforts to achieve greater efficiency, accountability, and focus to maximize the benefits brought through the public funds of Canadians.

Focusing efforts

To achieve effectiveness in delivering its international aid, Canada is focusing its efforts geographically and thematically.

Efforts in countries of focus are being enhanced to ensure coordination and coherence of CIDA's programming to achieve results that are meaningful.

These countries were chosen based on three criteria:

• Needs
• Ability to benefit meaningfully from Canada's assistance
• Alignment with Canada's foreign policy

CIDA continues to support initiatives assessed as being effective and achieving results, including humanitarian assistance, in other countries.

CIDA has also chosen priority themes on which to concentrate its efforts. These are areas where Canada has proven its leadership:

• Increasing food security
• Securing the future of children and youth
• Stimulating sustainable economic growth

Under food security, support is focused on:

• Food aid and nutrition
• Sustainable agricultural development, particularly for small-scale farmers and women
• Research and development

For children and youth, CIDA is focusing its support on:

• Child survival, including maternal health
• Access to quality education
• Safe and secure futures for children and youth

CIDA's sustainable economic growth thematic strategy focuses on:

• Building economic foundations
• Growing businesses
• Investing in people

Maximizing value

As recently as 2007, over half of Canadian food aid to developing countries had to be purchased in Canada, as was a third of Canada's non-food aid. Tied aid is not cost effective and is inefficient. It undermines the ability of developing nations to produce or buy goods for themselves and delays the assistance from reaching the people who so desperately need it.

To maximize the value of Canada's international assistance, the government untied all food aid in 2008 and has set 2012-2013 as the deadline for fully untying the goods and services delivered through Canadian aid programs.

Delivering results

The effectiveness of Canada's international assistance is measured by the progress made in reducing poverty and improving the lives of those living in poverty. To ensure that Canadian assistance is making a difference, CIDA supports work that has set clear objectives and outcomes to be achieved.

Development activities must be founded on evidence-based criteria. Identifying outcomes, both quantifiable and qualitative, enhances coordination and coherence of efforts by all donors and assistance partners. The setting of benchmarks enables beneficiaries and Canadians to measure progress against expected outcomes.

Strengthening local leadership

To achieve meaningful, sustainable results, CIDA supports efforts that demonstrate:

• Local country ownership and leadership of development policies and strategies, based on locally identified needs and priorities―CIDA projects and programs will be aligned with partner country priorities and development plans and will be coordinated with the efforts of other donors.
• Local involvement in the planning and execution of actions to benefit the community and the people―All CIDA efforts must be known by and support local leadership of relevant governance bodies. They will support the commitment partner countries to strong financial management and effective use of development assistance. Building the local, district, regional, or national capacity in-country is an integral part of sustainable development efforts. The eventual local ownership and maintenance of the effort is an integral part of Canadian assistance.

Efficiency and accountability

To enhance the efficiency and accountability of Canada's international assistance, CIDA:

• Publishes an annual report on Development for Results for all Canadians
• Tables annual reports to Parliament and an annual statistical report on official development (PDF 708 KB, 59 pages) assistance expenditures
• Outlines country plans for countries of focus, including the country program budget, the list of projects and project budgets, as well as the objectives being supported by CIDA
• Makes available to the public on the CIDA website evaluation and audit reports

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