Action Dialogue Status: Completed
Scope/Objective
The planned Action Dialogue 2021 builds on the Action Dialogue that Tanzania last undertook in 2018. The Action Dialogue 2021 will be embedded in the existing DCF dialogue structures and processes; hence it will be conducted within the roadmap structure for the upcoming High level Strategic Dialogue which is scheduled for end November 2021. The Action Dialogue will also be aligned to the roadmap (including sector level dialogues) for the November High-level Strategic Dialogue will bring in together Ministers, Ambassadors, Parliamentarians, Civil Society Organizations, the Private Sector, Academicians to deliberate on the role of inclusive partnership for sustainable development. The Action Dialogue 2021 Co-chaired by the Ministry of Finance and Planning and DPG Co-chairs, will among other things explore on better ways to enhance the quality of dialogue among development actors and make it more informative so as to bring the impact to the development process. The preparatory work will involve pre-consultative meetings that will be organized in at least in six Regions bringing together key actors from selected regions and Local Government Authorities. The 2021 Action Dialogue will emphasize strengthening bottom-up and whole-of government and whole of society participatory dialogue involving actors at Local Government Authorities (LGAs) up to national Sectors Level. This is within the Local Economic Development (LED) Framework.
Level of Participation
The Ministry of Finance and Planning is the leading institution in the Action Dialogue and the related to Development Cooperation dialogue processes. The Action Dialogue 2021 will be presided over by the Ministry for Finance and Planning (MoFP) which coordinates development cooperation matters in the country consultation with various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The External Finance Department (EFD) of the MoFP as the host for the secretariat of the Development Cooperation Framework which works jointly with the DPG Secretariat will coordinate the engagement process across all development actors. The Permanent Secretary Treasury (PST), who is the chairperson of the Strategic and high-level engagements leading the Government side with two Co-chairs from the Development Partners Group, will chair the National Taskforce for the Action Dialogue 2021. The Strategic High-Level dialogue (along which process the Action Dialogue 2021 will be aligned) will be attended by Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Directors from relevant Ministries and other Independent Government Agencies, Heads of Missions and Heads of Cooperation will represent the donor community whereas heads of other development actors such the Private sector, CSOs and Chairs of relevant Parliamentary Standing Committees will also be invited. MoFP will coordinate with UNDP and the DPG Co-chairs (UN and Switzerland).
Expected Participation
The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania will invite the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Donors through the Development Partners Group, and will be involved from the planning of stage of the Action Dialogue through to the end with a major emphasis on their active participation. Non-DAC donors will also be invited bilaterally to participate and contribute during the dialogue process. Non-state Actors such as Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) will be invited to participate. Private sector will be engaged through their umbrella organizations such as the Private Sector Foundation, Tanzania National Business Council, Confederation of Industries of Tanzania and the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. The Civil Society Organizations will be invited through the Tanzania Association of Non-Governmental Organizations and other sectoral umbrella organizations; both the private sector and CSOs will be invited in the sector level dialogue and the Strategic and High-Level dialogue to actively contribute on the deliberations. Also, the dialogue will engage with Regional and LGAs level leadership and non-state actions (CSOs and private sector)
Data/Evidence
The newly approved Five-Year Development Plan III, review of the Five-Year Development Plan II, review of the Zanzibar Vision 2020, Zanzibar Development Vision 2050, Zanzibar Medium Term Development Strategy 2021-2025, Kaberuka report on Development Cooperation in Tanzania, Development Cooperation Framework and the 2018 Global Partnership Monitoring will be key to the impactful Action Dialogue for the United Republic of Tanzania. The Action Dialogue process will also involve seeking data and official statistics from the National Statistical Offices (NBS and OCGS) as well as some evidence from other non-state actors (NSAs) sources of data and evidence.
Some of the key issues that will be part of discussion include extent to which Development Partners align their development efforts to country-owned priorities and development results, alternative financing opportunities for Local Government Authorities (LGAs), COVID-19 Recovery efforts, and implementation of Local Economic Development (LED) framework for LGAs, strengthening partnerships at all levels.
Key Questions for Discussion
The Government intention to build a stronger partnership with development actors calls for strengthening dialogue at the sector level and scaling up participation of key development actors such as the Private Sector and CSOs at various levels, both national and sub-national. The sector dialogue at the LGAs level will facilitate deliberations regarding opportunities and challenges in LGAs in the planning, implementation and evaluation of Local Economic Development (LED) initiatives and how that links to national level. Some key questions that will guide the action dialogue include: does the Development Cooperation Framework for Tanzania adequately capture any recent changes in development cooperation in Tanzania (e.g in terms of new actors and/or modalities/instruments)?, What are the main challenges to improving the quality of dialogue on development cooperation in Tanzania?, What should be done to make national dialogue on development cooperation more informative and have greater impact on development processes? How can national dialogue on development cooperation be more inclusive and ensure meaningful participation from diverse stakeholders to strengthen the ‘whole-of-society’ approach called for in the 2030 Agenda?
Next Steps
The Strategic Dialogue (Action Dialogue) will put forth processes and mechanisms for follow up whereas Ministries, Independent Agencies and Local Government Authorities will be required to report on progress that will inform other development processes in terms of policy change. The follow through process on agreed issues will involve extensive travelling across the country necessitating additional resources. URT requires approximately USD 100,000 to facilitate the Action Dialogue process interventions that were not budgeted for towards the Action Dialogue 2021.
More information available in the attached concept note.
