Planning an Effective Peer Review DISCUSSION POINTS

1
Planning an Effective Peer ReviewDISCUSSION
POINTS

• Addis Ababa, 20-21 February 2007

2
Introduction Welcome
3
Kojo Busia, UNECA
4
Peer Learning Objectives

• Forum for NFPs to learn from pioneer countries,
  interact, exchange ideas, peer learning
• Offer time for practitioners to share best
  practices and lessons
• Help develop plans for technically sound
  research, public involvement and comprehensive
  POAs
• Reflect on both theory and practical aspects of
  APRM processes
• Opportunity to exchange views, share country
  experiences on technical and administrative
  challenges of the CSAR process

SESSION 1
5
Ahmed Mohiddin
6
Workshop OverviewKey Messages

• Why do we need APRM?
• What are the potential benefits?
• APRM is complex, so understand how it works,
  anticipate challenges, manage process carefully
• It takes a lot of work, time, staff, money,
  political will but it can be done well by all
  countries!
• Undertake the best APRM process yet
• Learn from the pioneers
• Innovate
• Ensure process is rigorous, transparent,
  consultative and POA really makes a difference

SESSION 1
7
Ross Herbert, SAIIA
8

• Understanding goals
• Anticipating problems
• Putting in place strategies before problems
  strike

Good Planning
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So this means

• Anticipating problems
• Designing effective strategies
• Learning from pioneers best practices
• Avoiding known obstacles
• Innovating to set better benchmarks

10
Practical Tasks

• Broad civil society and business consultation
  required at all levels
• Form governing body
• Form research, consultation writing plan
• Find funding for research and hosting
• Execute the plan
• Write national self-assessment report
• Write national programme of action
• Host country review mission

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DAY 1 Tuesday 20 February

• Seminar Overview, Background, Objectives
• Understanding the positive benefits of APRM
  Interactive discussion
• APRM Basics Structures and Stages
• Understanding the Questionnaire and Research
  Methods
• Making a Consultation Plan Taking a Best
  Practices and Lessons Learned Approach
• Planning for an APRM National Survey
• Discussion
• Cocktail reception Delegates Lounge

SESSION 1
12
DAY 2 Wednesday 21 February

• Recap of Day 1
• Key Roles of the National Focal Points
• Developing the Programme of Action
• Communication, Public Information Media
  Strategies
• Country Review Missions Lessons from Ghana,
  Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa
• Planning and Budgeting For APRM at the National
  Level
• Discussion/Final Advice from Pioneer Countries
• Closing

SESSION 1
13
Session 2 Understanding the Benefits of APRM

• Francis Appiah, Ghana
• Steven Gruzd, SAIIA

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Understanding APRMs Positive Benefits Exercise

• Why are we doing APRM?
• How do we plan in order to realise positive
  benefits?
• Why are governments apprehensive about peer
  review, and why can civil society be sceptical?

SESSION 2
15
Understanding APRMs Positive Benefits

• APRM is solid, taken seriously, being watched
  by Forum, Panel, Secretariat, review teams,
  citizens, media, the world so countries cannot
  avoid the key governance issues
• Be proactive design systems and institutions to
  pre-empt problems and complaints
• Embrace constructive comment in spirit of peer
  learning
• Can only enhance image if process is genuinely
  open and free of controversy
• How Ghana dealt with these issues NGC design,
  independent secretariat, managing funds,
  validation, POA implementation and linking reform
  to APR

SESSION 2
16
Nana Boateng, APRM Secretariat
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APRM Basics Structures Stages

• APRM institutions
• 5 stages of the process, focus on
• Preparing the self-assessment POA
• Hosting the country review mission
• Experiences from early countries
• Progress and lessons from early reviews

SESSION 3
18
Understanding the Questionnaire

• Ross Herbert , SAIIA
• Baffour Agyeman-Duah, UNDP Tanzania and former
  head of CDD research body in Ghana

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Understanding the Questionnaire Research
Methods (pg 5)

• 88 Pages, 25 Objectives, 58 Questions, 183
  Indicators, 4 themes
• Political and Democratic Governance
• Economic Governance and Management
• Corporate Governance
• Socio-Economic Development
• Requires 2 kinds of input
• Technical
• Popular/broad based

SESSION 4
20
Localising the Questionnaire

• Not organised as survey questionnaire
• Complex language needs some translation
• Adding local issues, i.e. crime, land, local
  sources of conflict, media freedoms
• Organising for Researchability
• Mixed objectives
• Theme vs institutional focus
• Overlaps between themes
• Decentralisation
• Gender
• Oversight and Corruption
• Economic strategy, investment climate
  sustainable development

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Organisational Issues

• Elections and need for independence
• National Governing Councils Eminent vs
  representative
• Perceptions of COPPER
• To pay NGC members or not?
• Research institutions
• Transparent selection process
• Availability of staff
• Availability of expertise subcontracting (pg 9)

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6 Tasks to Desk Research (pg 9)

• Identify the relevant existing reports,
• Prepare a bibliography and experts list
• Prepare key issues list from existing reports,
• Under each issue, provide supporting evidence,
  using footnotes to make it easy to find the
  relevant portions in future.
• Extract from the existing reports a list of their
  recommendations and propose others that are
  suggested by the evidence.
• Translate each issue paper into local languages.

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ARPM Workflow
List of Issues Actions
Flesh out list with citizen survey workshops
Expert Survey Workshops
Validation Processes
POA Workshops
Final POA Self Assessment
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Research Methods
25
Understanding the Questionnaire and Research
MethodsFocal Point APRM Training Workshop, Addis
Ababa 20-21 February 2007

• Presentation by Baffour Agyeman-Duah,
• Senior Governance Advisor, UNDP-Tanzania

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Introductory Comments

• Although a peer review of African Heads of
  States, the philosophy and guiding principles of
  the APRM assessment are people-centered.
• It is designed to be mass-based, its
  all-inclusive and non-exclusionary and the
  assessment should be TRULY NATIONAL - full
  participation of all citizens!
• The Questionnaire requires both technical
  research (hardware/scientific) and citizens
  input (software/popular)
• Key question to answer How do you ensure the
  voices of the people are truly reflected in the
  assessment?

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Approaches to ensure popular participation in
Assessment

• The 4 approaches to Governance Research
• Desk research literature review all-inclusive,
  dont be selective!
• Expert surveys ranging between 100-200 experts
  Who are experts?
• National citizen surveys mass/popular surveys
  Sample size?
• Focus group discussions on key issues of each
  thematic areas

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Using research agencies/ selection criteria the
case of Ghana

• Ghana boasts of a number of reputable research
  institutions ISSER, IEA, CDD-Ghana, IDEG, PEF,
  Universities, etc
• But selection requires
• Demonstrable capacity of the institution
  including
• Quality of staff
• Track record in research
• Capacity for networking

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Use of both in-house and out-house expertise

• Research institutions should have the latitude to
  commission specialized experts to help on certain
  questions. In Ghana, CDD-Ghana commissioned
• Educated and article chiefs (Nana Asante
  Bediatuo) to address chieftaincy
• On Women and Gender Nana Lithur Oye, Mrs. Quaye,
  etc.
• On Conflicts Dr. Anin, Security personnel who
  kept the peace in Yendi

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Documentation, Validation and Quality Controls

• 1. The importance of documenting contentions,
  footnoting,
• Document issues of particular contention, e.g.,
  the Yendi conflict in Ghana, land tenure system,
  to give insights to the reviewers (APRM Panel)
• Divergent views should equally be documents,
  i.e., where there is no consensus
• Documentation include commissioned reports,
  footnoting in the text, etc.

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2. The importance of Validation steps to debate
and discuss issues

• In Ghana some drafts (commissioned papers) were
  given to specialists/experts for validation
• Draft reports given in advance to stakeholders
  before validation meeting
• Stakeholders should include both sides of the
  argument including opposition groups
  acceptability

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3. Issues of Quality Control, Timeframe, and Cost

• Senior staff at research institutions should be
  fully engaged
• Supervision should be strong to ensure quality
  control
• Technical Teams and APRM Secretariat should agree
  on timeframe and manpower requirements
• Costing should be adequately discussed and agreed
  upon, but additional costs possible once work is
  underway!

33
Workshop OverviewKey Messages

• Why do we need APRM?
• What are the potential benefits?
• APRM is complex, so understand how it works,
  anticipate challenges, manage process carefully
• It takes a lot of work, time, staff, money,
  political will but it can be done well by all
  countries!
• Undertake the best APRM process yet
• Learn from the pioneers
• Innovate
• Ensure process is rigorous, transparent,
  consultative and POA really makes a difference

SESSION 1
34
Practical Tasks

• Broad civil society and business consultation
  required at all levels
• Form governing body
• Form research, consultation writing plan
• Find funding for research and hosting
• Execute the plan
• Write national self-assessment report
• Write national programme of action
• Host country review mission

35
Key Elements of Consultation Plan

• Independent Governing council
• Adequate Budget (overall line items)
• Technical inputs plan (desk research, experts
  papers, focus groups, surveys)
• Public input plan (surveys, invitations,
  workshops)
• Government involvement
• Plan to form debate a robust POA
• Media strategy
• Validation

SESSION 5
36
Planning an APRM Survey

• Amadee Darga
• Prof. Ayenew Ejigou, UNECA Survey Consultatnt
• Prof. Wafula Masai, ACEG Kenya

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Planning for an APRM National Survey

• Achieves rigorous objective broad consultation
  gathers input from across the country, highlights
  location of problems for POA
• BUT needs much planning, time, staff, money
• Creating a survey instrument
• Translation
• Training administrators
• Choosing sample set
• What happens in practice Kenyas case

SESSION 6
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END OF DAY 1
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Key Roles of Focal Points

• Scant written guidelines emphasise persons level
  of access liaison role
• Roles include
• Building relationship with NGC
• Linking government civil society
• Facilitating research agency access to government
• Mustering political support for POA
• Arranging and supporting country missions
• Gathering info on compliance to standards
  treaties
• Ensuring effective budget management
  fundraising
• FPs words and actions signal intent, determine
  perceptions about fairness, candour and rigour

SESSION 7
40
Developing the POA

• POA is critical, but difficult to do and often
  neglected afterthought
• Focal point must bring government and civil
  society together, build consensus
• Build the generation of solutions into the
  research and consultation process
• Plan for dedicated POA research and workshops
• Make the POA central, not peripheral integrate
  existing plans, reform processes and future
  opportunities

SESSION 8
41
Communication, Public Information Media
Strategies

• APR involves interaction and information, so
  strategies matter
• Tone and style of communication sends signals
  about openness, candour, sincerity
• African populations know very little about APRM
• Sensitisation should ideally precede consultation
• What media and methods best inform and involve
  citizens?
• Tv, radio, newspapers, website, meetings
• Language and message considerations
• What do different target audiences need?
• Government -- Political parties
• Civil Society -- Business
• Researchers -- APR Sec, Forum, Panel
• Development partners
• How to get the media on board

SESSION 9
42
Country Review Missions Lessons from Ghana,
Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa

• Assess integrity and inclusiveness of national
  process
• Rigorously probe key governance issues, whether
  in CSAR or not
• Focal point handles logistics and agenda
• Allow civil society freedom to interact
• The same criteria of openness, candour and rigour
  apply to these missions

SESSION 10
43
National Level APRM Planning and Budgeting

• Build a budget to achieve goals, dont modify
  goals to fit budget
• How many staff members are needed?
• What logistical support is required?
• When will funds come from, and how will they be
  managed?
• APR is not much cheaper or less complex in small
  countries
• Building a budget the Lesotho example

SESSION 11
44
Discussion Final Advice

• Advice from focal point veterans if I knew then
  what I know now
• What makes a good APR?
• open transparent process
• candid rigorous report
• POA that will make a real difference

SESSION 12
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END OF DAY 2