AusAID / NGO

Committee for Development Cooperation

A Joint Committee of the Australian Agency for International Development and

Australian Non-Government Organisations

Draft Minutes of the 132ndCDC Meeting held on 15 March 2012

Attendees

AusAID

Mr Gary Powell, ADG NBB (Chair)

Mr Timothy Church (Legal Adviser)

Mr Russell Miles (Director NGO Policy, Partnerships and Program Section)

Mr Simon Cann-Evans (Director Mining for Development)

NGO Representatives

Mr Andrew Newmarch (World Vision)

Rev John Deane (ABM)

Ms Bridgette Thorold (Oxfam)

Apologies

Mr Adam Laidlaw (WaterAid)

Ms Zoe Mander-Jones (AusAID)

Secretariat

Ms Ruth Megirian (AusAID)

Ms Katharina Dollmann (AusAID)

Chris Wark (ACFID)

Observers

Ms Christina Nguyen (AusAID)

Susan Harris Rimmer (ACFID)

Welcome and Introductions

The Chair introduced himself and welcomed other new members to the CDC.

The meeting noted that Tim Church was an out-going member of the CDC, but that no date had been set for his departure.

The meeting welcomed Simon Cann-Evans as a new member of the CDC.

The meeting also welcomed Chris Wark who has taken over the role previously held by Alex Oates as the CDC liaison point for NGO representatives in the CDC.

The Chair made the following opening remarks:

  • AusAID has been restructuring to better position the organisation to manage the increasing aid program. The restructure has been largely completed, although some positions remain to be filled. NGO & Business Branch(NBB) reports to a new First Assistant Director General, Margaret McKinnon in Africa and Community Programs Division, reporting to James Batley, Deputy Director General, Country Programs Group.
  • The Chair acknowledged the leadership and contribution of the former Chair, Therese Mills, who has taken up the position of ADG Scholarships and Volunteers Branch, also in the Africa and Community Programs Division.
  1. The meeting accepted theMinutesof the CDC Meeting 131subject to including Jason Alferink as an observer.
  1. Action log

The meeting agreed that items should be removed from the Action Log where they have been completed. Other items should be removed because they will be addressed through implementation of the Civil Society Engagement Framework for discussion later in the agenda.

The following item remains on the action log:

  • Revision of the NGO Head Agreement.

Although the development of good practice guidelines for working with NGOs is no longer an action item for the CDC, the issue of developing such guidelines may come back to the CDC in the context of implementing action items in the CSEF. In this respect, the Chair advised that AusAID is in the process of appointing a steering committee to oversee implementation of the CSEF. The prupose of good practice guidelines is to ensure consistency across Australia’s aid program on working with civil society organisations.

  1. Draft Civil Society Engagement Framework (CSEF)

The Chair acknowledged that consultation with the CDC had been delayed until after AusAID’sconsultation with ExComon 7 March and that AusAID had not had sufficient time to incorporate ExCom’s comments prior to the CDC meeting. ACFID was able to distribute ExCom’s comments to CDC members on the evening prior to this CDC meeting.

It is expected that the CSEFwill be launched in the next few months. It provides guidance to how AusAID will engage with civil society organisations across the aid program to address poverty up to 2015. The meeting noted that a strong civil society is also a development outcome in its own right.

Russell Miles provided an overview of how ExCom’s comments and concerns would be incorporated into the next iteration of the draft CSEFand sought input from the meeting particularly in relation to the proposed ‘Intended Actions’.

The meeting noted that both Code of Conduct and the accreditation process remain relevant to AusAID’s risk management practices in engaging with Australian CSOs. NGO members sought further information as to how AusAID conducts risk assessments of non-accredited NGOs (Australian, local and international), given the level of funding that non-accredited NGOs receive from AusAID.

NGO members also noted that while accreditation is a risk management tool for AusAID, recognised development expenditure (RDE) is used both for allocating ANCP funds and as an indicator of independence from government. The draft CSEF places greater emphasis on performance and less on RDE as the basis for decisions on allocating funding. NGO members of the CDC sought to understand the impact of a changed allocation model on the future of ANCP grant funds, and discussed the merits of a ‘traffic light’ system as is currently used in AusAID’s QAIs. The Chair reminded the meeting that no discussions or decisions had yet taken place in respect of allocation models, and no timetable had yet been set for this work to be undertaken.

NGO members suggested that some proposed action items on the draft CSEF were currently not well-aligned with objectives. They also suggested that a greater focus on ‘research’ as an action item could add greatly to how civil society is understood as both a contributor to the development of civil societies as well as a contributor to poverty reduction. The meeting also cautioned AusAID about unintended consequences in relation to Objective 3 – Reduced risks and shared accountability.

  1. Outsourcing of the Administration of Accreditation and Overseas Aid Gift Deduction Scheme (OAGDS) Assessments

Ruth Megirian spoke to the paper provided to CDC members and provided an overview of the rationale and history for outsourcing the administrative process for accreditation and OAGDS and AusAID’s proposed approach to meeting future demand.

NGO members raised concerns about the extent of the concept of outsourcing and the need to ensure that the integrity of assessment was not compromised. AusAID indicated the proposed tender had been originally discussed last year and put on the AusAID’s Annual Procurement Plan on AusTender.

CDC members also sought greater clarity about the proposed role of the CDC if AusAID were to outsource accreditation (and OAGDS assessments) to an external provider and how any concerns regarding the process would be managed with a provider.

It was agreed that AusAID would provide more detail and clarity regarding the scope of activities proposed to be outsourced at the next CDC meeting. It was suggested that a communications strategy will need to be prepared to explain what any proposed outsourcing of the administration of OAGDS and accreditation assessments covers.

Action Item: AusAID to prepare a paper for the CDC on the extent of the outsourcing proposed (including what it does and does not include) the role of the CDC in relation to the accreditation process and management, taking into consideration the implementation of the Civil Society Engagement Framework.

  1. Organisational Reports

For individual applications, see Annex A.

The CDC noted the accreditation schedule and the large number of new applications and re-accreditations scheduled this year. CDC members agreed to review OR reports out of session if required.

  1. Other Business
  • The Chair advised that declarations of any conflicts of interest would be a standing agenda item for all future CDC meetings.
  • The AusAID Secretariat will instigate a system of purchase orders to clarify AusAID’s policies on reimbursement to CDC for NGO members to attend CDC meetings and simplify AusAID’s budgeting, invoicing and payment.
  • CDC meeting dates for 2012 have been revised to:

23rdMay

22ndAugust

21stNovember

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