Tackling rural poverty, together

On October 1-5, Sonja Bartelt, Platform Secretariat Coordinator, took part in the 5th Joint Mission of PRORURAL. She joined the Platform facilitation team Richard Anson (international facilitator) and Araceli Jimenez (national facilitator). The main objective for the Platform´s facilitation team was to provide continuous facilitation services to support the implementation of PRORURAL (their SWAP for the rural productive sector), especially through supporting the implementation of the ownership, harmonization and alignment (OH&A) action plan. Additionally, discussions centred around phasing out of country activities in Nicaragua towards greater regional support to H&A processes.

PRORUAL is now in the 3rd year of implementation. Current focus is the territorialization of PRORURAL as well as the integration of a food security component from June 2007 onwards. The territorialization of PRORURAL is considered as an important element for the further implementation of PRORURAL at decentralized levels. It includes substantial reform of public sector institutions at all levels. There was consensus among stakeholders that the work of the Platform was perceived as a catalyst to jump-start activities towards new approaches of working together. Thereby the importance of a neutral partner was stressed in order to maintain a balance between donor agendas and government (especially through the work of the NF). Further discussions centred around the Platform´s strategic move towards refining Aid Effectiveness principles for ARD programs through collecting and disseminating experiences at a regional level. After three years of support as a neutral broker in the country, it is time to harvest the experiences and disseminate the knowledge thereof. There was consensus that the experience of Nicaragua in the development of PRORURAL can support regional learning/exchange events with view to improve sector programme management in other Central American countries. Currently, development partners and government are looking into possibilities how to give continuity to the role and function of a national facilitator at national or regional level.

READ: Sonja Bartelt mission report and Richard Anson mission report.