Peer reviews are the most important tool of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) for accountability. They provide an in-depth assessment of a DAC member’s strengths and challenges. Peer review recommendations help DAC members to make the most of their development co-operation.
Peer reviews facilitate the individual and collective behavioural change of DAC members, ensuring their development co-operation policy frameworks and systems are fit for purpose.
The OECD captures lessons and trends that emerge across peer reviews and facilitates learning exercises on critical issues for DAC members.
The basis for peer reviews is that two DAC members review a third member. Observers can join reviews to learn and enrich the review's perspective. Peer reviews draw on the insights of many different stakeholders: DAC member governments, partner countries, and multilateral, civil society, research and private sectors partners.
These diverse perspectives enable peer reviews to focus on key issues and draw important conclusions. The strong stakeholder engagement is also a major success factor in ensuring follow-up to peer review recommendations.
The OECD uses a solid, explicit, and transparent analytical framework for reviewing the performance of DAC members. Components of analysis and assessment criteria are grouped around three pillars --partner country engagement, inclusive partnerships, global and domestic efforts-- and four foundations –policy, institutional arrangements, financing and management systems. The analytical framework continuously adapts to changes in the sector, such as new international commitments, updates in the DAC’s objectives.
Since 2014, 83% of recommendations made in peer reviews have been fully or partially implemented by DAC members. Members are encouraged to submit a management response to the recommendations.
Overall, members have made more progress on policy vision and framework than on financing and global efforts for sustainable development.
