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PMO-aid agencies’ meeting
- Govt asks donors to toe the line
KATHMANDU, APR 16 -
Secretaries to different ministries have asked the donor community to “respect the official channel” before launching any programmes at the grassroots level. The donors have also been asked not to get into direct consultations with local communities.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Friday met members of the donor community where government secretaries and donors discussed development plans of three major donor agencies - World Bank, DFID, and Asian Development Bank.
The three donor agencies recently held consultations in Biratnagar, Pokhara and Nepalgunj, where people from various walks of life from 40 districts had assembled.
During Friday’s meeting, secretaries asked donors to put their money into the projects prioritised by the government. “We conveyed to them that they should not directly reach out to the public, a la the government,” a secretary told the Post. The government officials also objected to the donors’ penchant for “creating a group of loyalists.’
Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire said the government and donor agencies should work on “common priorities” while carrying out developmental activities and that “the donors also should adhere to the government’s set priorities.”
“It is better to invest on Sector-Wise Approach (SWP) rather than put money into too many baskets,” said Balananda Poudel, secretary, General Administration.
During the discussion, most of the secretaries demanded better coordination between government agencies and the donor community.
“If the donors select the project and move ahead without the prior knowledge of the government, it is against governance and will further erode the credibility of the government. So, our humble suggestion is, first deal with the central government before reaching out to the people,” said another secretary.
Posted on: 2010-04-17 08:29
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