The Joint Monitoring Indicators
Mutual accountability or donor conditionality?

H.E. Chhieng Yanara
Secretary General
CRDB/CDC

Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF)
June 20th 2007

Background to the JMIs

• Established in December 2004

• Identified by TWGs & monitored by the GDCC

• New JMIs are discussed & agreed at GDCC

• New JMIs are then endorsed at CDCF

• JMI formulation is guided by agreed principles

JMI Principles

JMI principles were agreed in December 2005:

• Based on activities linked to NSDP targets and reforms

• Identified with a responsible government institution

• A realistic timeframe

• Financial and human resources identified

These were augmented in the 2006 GDCC-TWG Review:

• JMIs should reflect “joint” priorities and actions

• JMIs should be highly selective – not routine functions

• New arrangements for selection, monitoring & approval

“RGC leadership should be enhanced in the context of partnership”

Encouraging Progress…

• “No news is good news” - most of the 12 JMIs were implemented in full or have made progress

• Many TWGs report working effectively to identify, fund and implement agreed priorities

• 20 new JMIs are clustered around the NSDP and build on 2006 foundations

• “Orphan” JMIs – including rural water – will be found a home

• Promising signs of increasing and maturing mutual accountability

…but some remaining challenges

• An ambitious and challenging reform agenda will take more time – should JMIs be more incremental?

• Some remaining – or growing? - concerns about partnership and engagement

• Some of the JMI principles have not been fully applied – part of the learning process?

• Increasing signs of a reversion to conditionality in the negotiation and inclusion of some new JMIs

If the cart is heavier than the horse…



…then we lose our direction and momentum

Our task - to endorse the new JMIs as well as the underlying
                   principles

• Recognise the incremental nature of progress

• Acknowledge the complexity of reform

• Consider what ownership really means

• Revisit the lessons on conditionality

• Recognise the value of partnerships

• Re-engage in challenging areas of reform