Aid Effectivenes in Global Health: Country-Led Develpment , donor and country perspectives

Collaboration among US and other governments and private sector donors to improve health services and public health programs in developing countries is not based on country-led development plans. In addition, uncoordinated execution has weakened health systems and fragmented health service delivery turning aid into a series of project and disease-based interventions. The result is often an unknown return on the donor investment and lack of impact as measured by progress toward the millennium development goals. In 2005, over 100 countries and international organizations signed the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Progress to implement the declaration has been slow until the Obama administration which is committed to the principles of the Declaration. A number of panels at previous meetings have shared promising practices to contribute to this administration's efforts. In 2007, a panel explored various efforts to establish accountability measures for donor aid. The 2008 panel discussed how to put the Paris Declaration to work. In 2009, the focus was on accountability for aid effectiveness. In 2010, the panel looked at the role international agencies, NGOs, Faith-based organizations and the private sector play in the delivery of effective aid. In 2011, the panel made recommendations for improving coordination in the delivery of effective aid and the concerted measurement of aid effectiveness in global health. This year, the panel will include the perspectives of representatives from international donors and public health professionals from developing countries regarding models of country-led development that are proposed to increase effectiveness of development aid in global health.