Dour outlook on Accra Agenda for Action

Homi Kharas has a less than optimistic outlook on the 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, scheduled from September 2 to 4: "[T]he Accra Agenda repeats the good intentions of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, but offers few specifics for significant changes on the ground. There are not surprises." If Kharas had his way, participants in the forum would focus on three priorities:

• Raising official aid volumes
• Providing more development money and less assistance in kind
• Integrating civil society groups into development strategies

But Kharas predicts it will be business as usual on September 5 when the final agenda is announced. Meanwhile, the Better Aid Blog is doing a bit of liveblogging on the event. In the most recent post, Lucy Hayes does a back-of-the-envelope calculation and concludes the event costs in the ballpark of US$10 million.