Effectiveness of Mutual Accountability Mechanisms

2014: Alison King produced a policy brief on the effectiveness of mutual accountability mechanisms for the 2014 ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum

Commissioned by UN-DESA, the policy brief updates a 2010 mapping of the effectiveness of regional and global mutual accountability mechanisms to promote sustainable development results. It reviews the extent to which such mechanisms support mutual accountability at national level and aims to give practical suggestions for a global accountability architecture. The desk review found that mechanisms make visible efforts to close identified knowledge gaps. At the same time, it identifies a range of challenges and recommends the following actions: to undertake a mapping of existing mechanisms with a narrow focus on development cooperation flows; to facilitate more structured and independent research on the nexus of mutual accountability and evidence-based decision making; to make better use of the data revolution and the potential of technology to establish which information is relevant and to effectively share data; and to assess capacity needs and enhance dialogue on effective development cooperation between provider and recipient country parliaments and between CSOs.
Contact: Alison King