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Aid effectiveness and health

Challenges to achieving and demonstrating the effectiveness of aid in the health sector

Authors: R. Dodd; G. Schieber; A. Cassels
Publisher: World Health Organization , 2007

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This paper discusses the key challenges in the provision of more effective aid for health. It examines the complexities of the health sector, the challenges to making aid effective and recent efforts to address these issues. The paper demonstrates that aid effectiveness is particularly challenging in health, partly because of the inherent complexities of the sector itself. It highlights the Paris Declaration, as an important approach for improving aid effectiveness in health. The Paris Declaration lays down a roadmap to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development. Its key principles include: ownership; alignment; harmonisation; managing for results; and mutual accountability.
 
The paper concludes that creating an effective aid architecture in health helps make the case that 'aid works' and should leverage further resources for the sector. A key challenge is to demonstrate the link between the aid effectiveness agenda and better health outcomes. The authors recommend that efforts are needed at the country level to develop instruments for mutual accountability between donors and countries. These efforts should be initiated by the health community, but look beyond the sector and aim to ensure alignment of health strategies and goals with other development objectives.