The Conference

The regional conference, titled “Building an Asian Peoples’ Agenda on Aid: Conference on Official Development Assistance (ODA) “  will be a three-day activity to be held from July 25 to 27, 2007. It will be in the Philippines, a recipient country that relies on ODA for the achievement of the MDGs.  Target participants will be coming from ODA recipient countries in Asia, namely Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, , India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, as well as donor countries -- Japan, China and South Korea.

Civil society organizations engaged in ODA advocacy from neighboring countries like India, Thailand and Malaysia and from donor countries will be invited to participate in the conference.  Also, international networks will be invited to participate. Japan Citizens Monitoring ODA is active in ODA monitoring, while GCAP in Europe is working with Concorde, a broad coalition on aid advocacy. Resource persons from civil society networks in aid giving countries will be invited to present.

Programme Content:
DAY ONE – July 25, 2007
Welcome Remarks/Ojectives of Conference- Marivic  Raquiza, GCAP- Asia Co-Convenor     
Announcements of Logistics- Chona Ramos, Conference Coordinator
SESSION 1: Global Trends:  Assessment of ODA and Prospects – by Prof. Leonor Briones, ICC, Social Watch
Presentation on historical context, current situation
   
SESSION 2 Impact of ODA Policy and Programs on Sectors and Concerns
1.  Education        - ASPBAE
2.  Environment    - Sustainability Watch
3.  Aid, Debt and Conditionalities    - Jubilee South APMDD
4.  Human Rights     - Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development 
5. Gender                - Mode (tbc)

4.2. Thematic Workshops
1.    ODA and Poverty and Inequality
2.    ODA and Aid, Debt and Conditionalities
3.    ODA and Human Rights
4.    ODA and Environment
(These are only initial thematic workshops. Groups who are interested to propose and anchor additional workshops are welcome)

Donor Country’s Perspective
Overview of quantity and quality of ODA flows from donor country (focus on from 2000 to 2005); Assessment of aid effectiveness: policy, implementation, capacity, etc.
Presentations by the following:
2.1.    Japan- Japan ODA Reform Network
2.2.    South Korea- Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice
2.3.    Europe- Eurostep

SESSION 3:  Presentations on Aid Effectiveness
1.     Recipient Country’s Perspective
Country report on the situation and impact of ODA (focused on the effectiveness, efficiency, sufficiency, quality and relevance of aid):
1.1.    Philippines presentation by Social Watch Philippines and ODA Watch Philippines
1.2.    Indonesia by INFID
1.3.    India by Sansad/WNTD
1.4.    Sri Lanka by GCAP-Sri Lanka
1.5.    Nepal- GCAP- Nepal
1.6. Bangladesh- GCAP Bangladesh

CULTURAL NIGHT
DAY TWO – July 26, 2007
SESSION 4: Regional Trends: Assessment of how aid effectiveness in Asia Presentation of study; Overview of ODA flows in Asia (focus on from 2000 to 2005); Assessment of aid effectiveness: policy, implementation, capacity, etc.)
1.  Asia Perspective by ODA Watch Philippines
2.  Open Forum – to identify the trends in, and issues on, aid effectiveness in AsiaCase
 
DAY THREE – July 27, 2007
SESSION 5: SYNTHESIS
Synthesis of regional issues

SESSION 6: FORMULATING THE ASIAN  ACTION PLAN
SESSION 7: THE QUEZON CITY DECLARATION ON ODA

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