Development Assistance Committee (DAC) peer reviews function as a tool for both learning and accountability. This report is the result of an in-depth consultation and review process. It was produced by a review team comprising peer reviewers from Belgium (Isabelle Wittoek, Belgium Delegation to the OECD, and Stefan Meersschaert, First Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission) and Japan (Kozo Kawata, First Secretary, Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD Kyosuke Inada, JICA’s Chief Representative in Paris and Takashi Yukizawa, Policy Advisor, JICA’s France Office). From the OECD Development Co‑operation Directorate, co-authors were Joëlline Bénéfice as lead analyst and Santhosh Persaud, Juan Casado Asensio and Cyprien Fabre as policy analysts. Renwick Irvine, Team Lead for Peer Reviews, oversaw the review. Samantha Proteau and Agustina Vierheller provided logistical assistance to the review, and formatted and produced the report. Héctor Moreno provided statistical support and Yasmin Ahmad and Elena Bernaldo de Quiros verified the data. The report was prepared under the supervision of Rahul Malhotra, Head of Division, Reforms and Partnerships for Development Impact. Sylvaine Herold edited the original French version of the report, Susan Sachs the English translation.
The team are grateful for valuable inputs from across the Development Co-operation Directorate – including from the Financing for Sustainable Development division and the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation team and the OECD, in particular the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs; the Directorate for Legal Affairs; the Directorate for Public Governance; the Environment Directorate; the Global Relations and Co-operation Directorate;; the Financial Action Task Force; and the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network. Interviews with and written submissions from 24 of France’s partners (non-governmental organisations, civil society representatives, the private sector, think tanks and multilateral organisations) helped to focus and enrich the review
The Peer Review of France benefited throughout the process from the commitment and dedication of representatives of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, and the AFD Group. The review team would also like to thank France’s Embassies in Mauritania and Viet Nam and AFD offices for hosting the review team, sharing insights and ensuring smooth contact with local counterparts.