Australian Non-Government Organisation Cooperation Program

Australian Non-Government Organisation Cooperation Program

Key ANCP results in 2015-16 included:

• 5.6 million people with increased access to essential medicines and health commodities including HIV treatment (50 per cent female, 0.8 per cent people with disabilities);

• 1.3 million poor people with increased access to financial services (72 per cent female, 0.1 per cent people with disabilities);

• 1.2 million people provided with prevention services excluding HIV/AIDS and STD (53 per cent female, 14 per cent people with disabilities);

• 1 million people with increased knowledge of hygiene practices (54 per cent female, 0.7 per cent people with disabilities);

• 970,000 people exposed to awareness raising campaigns/activities in communities highlighting issues of violence against women including harmful cultural practices (60 per cent female, 0.7 per cent people with disabilities); and

• over 960,000 indigenous beneficiaries of ANCP projects.

In March 2016, the ANCP Thematic Review on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment was published. It identified opportunities to better target gender equality in the ANCP and was the driver for the Australian NGO Gender Action Platform (GAP) launched in September 2016. The GAP aims to enhance gender equality outcomes in developing countries through the delivery of innovative or transformational NGO projects and increased collaboration on gender equality development challenges between NGOs and DFAT. 

The 2015 Office of Development Effectiveness evaluation of the ANCP noted areas for improvement and DFAT agreed to undertake all recommendations proposed.²⁸ During 2015-16, the performance assessment framework and program logic were developed as well as the staged implementation of a new simplified funding model and a more efficient contracting approach. Also under development is a comprehensive communications strategy that will cover internal and external communication and a strategy for post engagement. 

Australian NGOs must undergo a rigorous up-front accreditation process which assesses the organisational capacity, operational systems and development approaches of Australian NGOs. Each NGO is reaccredited every five years in order to continue to receive funding ensuring that DFAT is investing in effective partners. In 2015-16, there were 12 accreditation reviews: 10 reaccreditations and two new applications, of which one was successful. 

Australian Volunteers for International Development Program 

In 2015-16, 93 per cent of volunteers were placed in Asia and the Pacific, with Indonesia, Cambodia, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vietnam receiving the highest number. Volunteers worked to support Australian and partner government country priorities with 95 per cent of new assignments aligned with Aid Investment Plans. In support of the aid program’s thematic priorities, 10 per cent of volunteer assignments had a primary focus on gender equality, 15 per cent of assignments focused on disability inclusion and 25 per cent of assignments engaged with the private sector.

The AVID program contributed to the achievement of the Government’s public diplomacy objectives. Volunteers promote a positive perception of Australia in the region, and promote a positive perception of the aid program domestically. The Returned Australian Volunteer Network (RAVN) was launched in 2015 to recognise the ongoing contribution of returned Australian volunteers to the Australian aid program. RAVN provides networking, engagement and professional development opportunities for around 13,000 returned volunteers. By December 2016, more than 7,000 returned volunteers had joined the network.

AVID underwent significant changes to deliver an effective program in 2015-16. Changes were made to in-country management arrangements with a move to a single AVID delivery partner operating in 27 of the 29 countries, with the exception of Indonesia and Fiji. The AVID program in Bangladesh was closed in late 2015 due increased security concerns for volunteers. 

AVID underwent significant changes to deliver an effective program in 2015-16. In response to a recommendation by ODE’s 2014 evaluation of AVID²⁹, changes were made to in-country management arrangements with a move to a single AVID delivery partner operating in 27 of the 29 countries, with the exception of Indonesia and Fiji. The AVID program in Bangladesh was closed in late 2015 due increased security concerns for volunteers. 

Chapter 4
Sector and thematic performance

DFAT published a further seven sector and thematic strategies in 2015-16: the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy, Strategy for Australia’s Aid Investments in Social Protection, Strategy for Australia’s Aid Investments in Private Sector Development, Strategy for Australia’s Aid Investments in Education, Strategy for Investments in Economic Infrastructure, Strategy for Australia’s Aid for Trade Investments, and the Humanitarian Strategy. Strategies inform investment decisions, strengthen effectiveness of programming and promote coherence across the aid program. Progress against sector and thematic strategies is reviewed annually and contributes to the analysis in this chapter, which also draws on country and regional Aid Program Performance Reports, and relevant sector and thematic evaluations. 

Figure 25 provides the breakdown of aid investments against priority policy areas in 2015–16. When compared to 2014-15 figures, expenditure increased slightly for investments in governance (up from 17 per cent to 18 per cent of overall aid expenditure) and building resilience (up from 15 per cent to 16 per cent). Expenditure on Effective Governance captures work across a range of investments, including law and justice, anti-corruption, public financial management, leadership, and gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Expenditure held steady for the agriculture, fisheries and water, and infrastructure and trade investment priority areas. Health expenditure decreased from the last financial year (from 17 per cent to 14 per cent).The largest difference was in education, where expenditure decreased as a proportion of the overall aid program from 22 per cent in 2014-15 to 17 per cent in 2015-16. These decreases were largely due to the changing priorities and nature of Australia’s engagement in several country programs in South-East and East Asia.

Figure 25: ODA by investment priority area, 2015-16

Overall, 2015-16 saw strong performance across sectors and thematic areas. Significant proportions of investments in most priority areas were rated as effective, particularly in infrastructure, trade facilitation and international competitiveness (91 per cent); effective governance (90 per cent); building resilience (90 per cent) and education and health (89 per cent and 83 per cent respectively). Further information on sector and thematic performance is detailed below.