Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific

1. Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific Tracking aid effectiveness and MDG’s progress in the Pacific region Feleti P Teo Deputy Secretary General Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

2. Compact Purpose & Deliverables • Key Objective – drive more effective coordination of available development resources centered on the aim of achieving MDGs • Echoes principles of country ownership, alignment, harmonisation and mutual accountability • Key Deliverables address key principle of aid effectiveness: • Peer review and self assessment of national development plans and planning processes; • Development partner reporting on efforts to support aid effectiveness; • Tracking of Development effectiveness; • MDG Tracking • Roadmap to strengthening public financial management • High level dialogue with the private sector • Emerging body of evidence on regional development data.

3. Tracking Aid Effectiveness in the Pacific & Progress • Annual report on tracking overall development effectiveness in the region • Synthesis of material coming out of three deliverable and processes under Cairns Compact • Peer review of national planning processes; • Reporting by FICs on their national development plans • Development partner reporting on their efforts in support of aid effectiveness principles • Contribute to body of evidence that generates a specific Pacific perspective on national, regional and international efforts to improve development in the region

4. Tracking Pacific Regional MDG Progress • 2010 MDG Tracking Report build on previous reports • Localization of global indicators to suit local circumstances and priorities • Creation of additional goals • Progress towards MDGs is an incremental process and that measurement is not always continuous • On aggregate, little substantive change in status of achievement in progress towards the Goals since latest Pacific MDG Tracking Report (2009) • An holistic approach is thus taken in the assessment of progress towards the achievement of the Goals in the 2010 Tracking MDGs Report

5. Tracking Pacific Regional MDG Progress • Data Issues • Datasets presented represent the “best estimates” of MDG status of Pacific Island Countries as at 2010; often actual data relates to earlier years • Standard definitions and methodologies for some indicators are not universally used across the region • MDG Progress • Overall trend is that • Polynesian countries have been performing relatively well • Micronesian countries of the north Pacific have been struggling to maintain earlier gains • Melanesian countries, notably those where there has been conflict or civil/political tension, a reversal of earlier achievements is being noticed

6. Tracking Pacific Regional MDG Progress • Accelerating Progress • Keys to accelerating progress two-fold • Sustain progress already made; enhance progress towards goals that remain to be met • Accelerate progress so as to meet at least some of the Goals • Targeted “acceleration” interventions needed • Interventions to be framed in the context of national development strategies and sector plans

7. Conclusion • Mixed performance of MDG progress in the Pacific region • Low levels of economic growth limit resources allocation for MDG • Need for greater regional coordination of development resources • Joint efforts between PICs, development partners and all stakeholders • The Cairns Compact - regional platform for enhancing cooperation in development coordination