From the responses, the top five things named were:
Improve partner involvement and localisation efforts
This sounded like: annual partnership conversations in each country; robust conversations with partner governments on performance and commitments; co-designing and co-delivering projects with communities; be led by local actors.
Improve DFAT capability
This sounded like: building aid capability and literacy in DFAT; urgently invest in development expertise in DFAT; upskill DFAT staff, including sending secondees to the multilateral banks to build a stronger network as well as capabilities.
Change aid management
This sounded like: revamp DFAT's design, implementation and MEL processes; stop micro-managing every project; more flexible arrangements; rebalancing DFAT's approach away from risk/compliance towards flexibility, adaptiveness and locally led solutions.
Improve accountability and transparency
This sounded like: strengthen transparency and accountability and feedback loops with recipient countries, including through dialogue with civil society; publish joint development commitments; more transparency and accountability; promote transparency.
Focus on long-term strategic direction
This sounded like: have long-term (10-year) strategies; think longer-term; support over time; have strategic responses to long-term development challenges.
RANKING RESULTS
Answers varied across the globe, and for different reasons, so in round two we asked our respondents: "If you had to allocate bilateral development spending, where should the focus be?
RANKING RESULTS
Next up, we asked what the program should be doing (and what it should stop doing). Click through to see the results.
