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JAS Concept Paper
The purpose of this Concept Paper
This Concept Paper is the guiding document for developing Tanzania’s first Joint
Assistance Strategy (JAS) and for formulating the JAS in future cycles. The Paper
presents the rationale for establishing a JAS in Tanzania, its key objectives,
reasons for its feasibility, as well as the general principles for development cooperation under JAS. The latter will be elaborated on in detail and be
complemented by specific arrangements (including procedures for transition from
individual assistance strategies to JAS) in the JAS document, which constitutes a
binding agreement between the Government of Tanzania and Development
Partners for the duration of a JAS cycle. The Concept Paper also outlines general
arrangements for monitoring and evaluating the JAS and for setting up
institutional structures as well as membership regulations and procedures for
developing the JAS.
The rationale of developing a JAS in Tanzania
Tanzania’s relationship with its Development Partners has for many years been
characterized by trust, open dialogue and commitment to improving the
effectiveness of aid and development co-operation through strengthening
Government ownership and increasing aid coordination, harmonization and
alignment. The Government of Tanzania and its Partners have achieved
considerable progress in terms of national ownership of development,
harmonization of Government and Development Partner processes, and
alignment of Partner support to national priorities and systems, which has led to
increased aid effectiveness and hence better development outcomes.
Nevertheless, transaction costs remain high, as parallel systems and
unharmonized practices coexist along with harmonization and alignment efforts,
which still vary greatly by modality and Partner.
In order to move forward on and beyond implementing the ‘best practices’ for
development co-operation and aid management laid out in the Tanzania
Assistance Strategy (TAS) of 2002 and the international harmonization,
alignment and managing for results agenda of Rome 2003, the Government of
Tanzania aims to work together with and coordinate all Partners under a Joint
Assistance Strategy (JAS) to collectively support Tanzania in achieving its
national development and poverty reduction goals. This Strategy would specify
all modalities and arrangements of development support to Tanzania and replace
individual country assistance strategies. It would hence do away with multiple
Development Partner processes and requirements that have placed a high
burden on limited Government capacity, would strengthen national ownership
and allow for more efficient and effective donor resource use through joint
funding arrangements and by avoiding duplication and uneven Development
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Partner support. It would furthermore promote consolidation and continuity of
Development Partner commitment to the national and international
harmonization and alignment agenda through institutionalizing a culture of
harmonization in Partner agencies.
JAS Objectives
The JAS aims to contribute to the achievement of the country’s poverty reduction
and sustainable development goals by strengthening national ownership and
Government leadership of the development process, by consolidating
Development Partner assistance to the implementation of national strategies,
policies and programmes, and by improving aid effectiveness through aid
coordination, harmonization and alignment to national priorities and systems,
and managing for results. JAS objectives are thus in line with international
initiatives for aid effectiveness, such as the Monterrey Consensus on Financing
for Development and the Rome Declaration on Aid Harmonization.
The feasibility of JAS
The Government has undertaken various measures that make Government
ownership, Development Partner harmonization and alignment to Government
priorities and systems and results-based management under a JAS feasible. (1)
With the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) and the
Zanzibar Poverty Reduction Plan (ZPRP), it has defined clear strategies that
outline national development and poverty reduction priorities and hence allow
the alignment of Development Partner support with those priorities and policies.
(2) The NSGRP allows for results-based management due to its focus on
outcomes and outputs. (3) The integration of Development Partner funds in the
Government budget system is feasible due to the Government’s maintenance of
a sound public financial management system, facilitated by the computerised
Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) at central and local government
levels and the new Strategic Budget Allocation System (SBAS), which allows for
results-based and transparent budget planning and execution for all MDAs.
Furthermore, economic governance is being strengthened through the Public
Financial Management Programme.
The JAS is furthermore feasible because several Development Partners have
already been underway to follow some of its principles under their individual
assistance strategies and as part of their efforts to implement the TAS. They
have aligned their support with national priorities articulated in the Poverty
Reduction Strategy, have joint funding mechanisms to support sector-wide
programmes (e.g. in health, education, local government reform, etc.) and have
improved coordination in key sector reforms. Development Partners providing
Poverty Reduction Budget Support use a common performance assessment
framework (PAF). Joint monitoring and evaluation of resource allocation and
expenditures are undertaken within the Public Expenditure Review (PER).
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Furthermore, Development Partners increasingly adhere to a calendar of a
rationalized cycle of policy and consultative processes including a period of ‘quiet
times’ during which Government-Development Partner interaction is minimized.
Also, the Development Partners Group (DPG) has produced a calendar of
missions for both donor field offices and headquarters to encourage the
harmonization of Partner missions.
The JAS constitutes a roadmap to further consolidate and institutionalize current
harmonization, alignment and managing for results efforts and to take them to a
higher level.
JAS Principles
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the Government and
Development Partners should adhere to the following principles.
1. Government leadership of the development process
 The Government takes leadership in developing and implementing
policies, strategies and programmes, including the JAS.
2. Harmonization and alignment in national strategies, Government systems and
processes
 Development Partners align their assistance to national strategies, policies
and development programmes, in particular the NSGRP and ZPRP.
 Financial and technical assistance respond flexibly to new developments
and information.
 The Government strengthens the link between the NSGRP/ZPRP and the
budget cycle and aligns other national processes with these two.
 The Government at national, sector and local level takes ownership over
the implementation of Development Partner supported programmes and
projects.
 Development Partners use Government structures and systems in project
implementation and avoid parallel systems.
3. Division of labour and delegated co-operation
 Following the concept of division of labour, Development Partners
concentrate on specific areas, activities or sectors depending on their
comparative advantage.
 ‘Lead’ and ‘delegating partners’ will be assigned for each area of support.
The JAS document will specify a code of conduct for ‘lead’ and ‘delegating
partners’, the procedures for their selection as well as the specific roles of
each Partner.
4. Technical assistance
 Technical assistance focuses on capacity building with sustainability.
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5. Capacity building
 Development Partners support the strengthening of national ownership
through capacity building that suits local needs and complements local
capacities.
 The Government clearly defines its capacity needs.
6. External resource management
 Development Partners harmonize their individual financial contributions
with each other and enter joint funding arrangements, irrespective of their
role as ‘delegating’ or ‘lead partners’.
 Development Partners increase the proportion of budget support in their
total funds in each JAS cycle by a specific amount or percentage
determined in the JAS document in order to enhance Government
ownership and allow for improved Government planning of external
resource allocation.
 Development Partners make firm three-year commitments in line with the
MTEF.
 In order to facilitate transparency and accountability in public financial
management, Development Partners fully integrate resources (project aid,
basket funds, budget support) in the Government system and report
timely in line with the Government budget cycle on both commitments
and disbursements, including aid to NGOs.
 Development Partners align their aid disbursements to the Government
budget cycle.
 Development Partners disburse funds according to commitments in order
to increase aid predictability and allow for improved budget planning and
execution.
 Development Partners disburse funds in time to address exogenous
shocks.
 The Government continues to improve public financial management in
order to further strengthen economic governance.
 The Government focuses on results in budget preparation and execution
in line with the NSGRP/ZPRP and rationalizes development expenditures
accordingly.
7. Procurement
 The procurement of goods and services is increasingly untied from the
source of financial assistance.
 Development Partners increasingly use Government procurement systems.
8. Accounting and auditing
 Development Partners use
procedures and systems.
Government
accounting
and
auditing
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9. Performance assessment
 Performance assessment of budget support, projects and baskets is
undertaken jointly by Development Partners and Government, and
Development Partners align performance assessment to the relevant
Government monitoring and evaluation system.
 The performance assessment for budget support, sector-wide approaches
and projects feeds into national policy and budget processes and does not
reflect a separate arrangement between the Government and
Development Partners.
10. Conditionality
 Development Partners reduce and streamline conditionality.
 Conditionality is not used as policy leverage but focuses on overall
Government progress in order to enhance Government ownership,
facilitate open dialogue and ensure aid predictability.
11. Reporting
 Development Partners use Government arrangements and formats for
reporting.
 The Government strengthens reporting systems at all levels.
12. Reviews and analytical work
 The Government takes ownership over reviews and analytical work,
including their timing and scope, and they are used to the fullest extent
possible for guiding policy planning, implementation and monitoring.
 Reviews and analytical studies are planned and undertaken collectively by
the Government and Development Partners.
 Analytical studies are shared with other interested stakeholders.
13. Risk assessment and mitigation
 Risks and appropriate risk mitigation strategies are jointly defined by
Development Partners and the Government.
14. Dialogue
 Development Partners reduce the number of missions and undertake joint
meetings and missions, to be determined in the JAS document.
 Development Partners align meetings and missions to the Government’s
calendar of policy and consultative processes.
 All consultative mechanisms will be harmonized within the NSGRP/ZPRP
and the national budget cycle. The JAS document will clearly define the
mechanisms.
 Open and equal participation in dialogue among all JAS Partners is
secured and decisions are made based on consensus of all JAS Partners.
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15. Involvement of non-state actors
 Non-state actors will be fully engaged in the JAS process.
Monitoring and evaluating JAS
The functioning of JAS, and Development Partner and Government adherence to
JAS principles is monitored and evaluated jointly on an annual basis as well as
through mid-term and final reviews. The process will involve an independent
assessment, similar to the TAS process.
Institutional structure of JAS
Bodies for decision-making and dialogue among Development Partners and
between them and the Government will be defined within the existing
Government and Development Partners Group structures and elaborated on in
the JAS document.
Membership regulations
The Government of Tanzania and Development Partners will sign the JAS
document as a commitment to the JAS principles.
Procedures of developing the JAS
The JAS will be formulated in a broad-based participatory process, including the
Government at all levels, Development Partner field offices and headquarters as
well as non-state actors. The JAS will be approved by the Cabinet of the
Government of Tanzania.
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