Harmonization and Alignment Key to Development Effectiveness in Central Asia, Workshop Told

BISHKEK, KYRGYZ REPUBLIC (15 November 2004) - Harmonization and alignment will help the Central Asian republics (CARs) more effectively allocate their scarce resources, reduce transaction costs, and improve development effectiveness, an ADB official told the opening of a workshop in Bishkek.

"At the heart of this process is the deep involvement of all stakeholders, including members of the donor community - such as ADB - and representatives of Government," said Bruce Purdue, Head of ADB's Results Management Unit.

He was addressing the Bishkek Regional Workshop on Harmonization and Alignment, held on Thursday and Friday. The workshop was the second of four regional meetings leading up to the Second High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held in Paris in March next year.

"It is very important that the unique perspective of Central Asia be understood and integrated into the global discussions at the Forum in Paris," Mr. Purdue added.

"That is one of our main objectives - to give you a voice in an important forum and bring the lessons learned in this meeting to the attention of the global development community."

The workshop was hosted by the Kyrgyz Republic Government, and cosponsored by ADB, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID).

Attending were participants from the CARs and Mongolia, including private sector representatives, and officials from multilateral and bilateral donor agencies. Kyrgyz Republic Vice Prime Minister H.E. Djoomart Otorbaev opened and closed the workshop.

The workshop aimed to provide an open forum to exchange ideas and identify solutions to the challenge of increasing development effectiveness.

Representing DFID, Martin Dinham, Director for Europe, Middle East and Americas Division, said harmonization is at the top of DFID's development agenda.

"We recognize the high costs to our partner countries of working in a non-harmonized way with the need to devote significant time and resources on the management of different donor procedures," he said.

"It is clear that all partners in this process [of harmonization] require a greater understanding of how harmonization affects real people and the benefits that it can bring."

UN Resident Coordinator Richard Young, on behalf of the UN group, said the most important principle is to enhance national ownership of development processes and to align with the wider development community.

"I would like to recommend an increased collaboration at all levels so we can learn from - and support each other - in harmonizing and simplifying our cooperation with program countries," he said.

"If we can do this, I believe we can increase the impact of development support and more effectively move the Millennium Declaration from aspiration to achievement."

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