Parkop bats for effective aid check

 BY DAPHNE WANI

AID from donor agencies should be closely monitored and managed by the government, according to National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop (pictured).

He said aid had been part of national development well before Independence.

“We are grateful but the way aid is managed and run is uncertain,” he told Parliament last Friday.

He said there were international and domestic agreements on how aid was to be managed by the recipient country.

The Paris Declaration and the Kavieng Accord require that donors must go through the government.

Parkop said aid agencies were running parallel systems in the country and carried out programmes with the government’s knowledge. 

Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Charles Abel in reply, said the government was revising international and domestic agreements on foreign aid. 

He said they should be aligned with government principles.

A joint understanding with Australia demonstrates and focuses better alignment in terms of activities at provincial and district level. 

Abel said the joint understanding under the Manus arrangement directed Cabinet and the Prime Minister to focus and make aid aligned with PNG principles, “things like concentrating on infrastructure, reduction of technical assistance and visibility around the programmes”.