3.2.3 Related Instruments
There are various other processes linked to the PRS that also offer potential entry points (see chapter 5.2.2):
- An annual meeting of government and donors, called the Consultative Group Meeting, takes place in most countries. There is a growing tendency to invite members of the civil society to this meeting.
- Some countries establish sector groups to work and decide on specific issues related to their sector. These groups comprise not only government officials but also civil society experts.
- The discussions on World Bank and IMF lending instruments are generally not open for public participation, but it might be worthwhile to try to obtain some information on the content of the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) and the World Bank’s Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC), as these both strongly influence the macroeconomic framework of the PRS.
- The World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) is increasingly involving the civil society. As the CAS should be aligned with the PRS, it is important to control the content. Information on the CAS process is available at the World Bank Resident Mission.
- Another interesting entry point is the link with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): several of the MDGs will be impossible to attain without addressing disability issues. This is of course most obvious in the case of education and health.
Example: Cambodia
The Cambodian Government has set up a complex system of aid coordination consisting of 19 Technical Working Groups, quarterly meetings of the Government Donor Coordinating Committee and the Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF), which currently meets every 18 months (and has replaced the Consultative Group meeting). During the CDCF meeting organised by the Council for Development of Cambodia, the main agenda item was implementation of the PRS. Although only three representatives from civil society organisations had the possibility to participate in the meetings, the NGO Forum coordinated the production of an NGO report on implementation of the National Strategic Development Plan in 2006, which received contributions from a large number of civil society organisations, and in which disability was mainstreamed for the first time. The report was submitted to the government and donors at the meeting.
More information
Check the websites of the World Bank and the IMF for more information on the CAS, PRGF, PRSC, etc.
Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum
Info sheet: MDGs and disability. Read more about the MDGs and their link to disability
