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Experience and Practice
| Contributing to Pro-Poor Policy: Views of Practitioners |
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On this page we present a series of 15 interviews that we conducted with selected SDC Country Directors and other staff members of Swiss Coordination Offices. All those interviewed have been involved in contributing to policy debates in the countries in which they work. The idea was to probe their experiences and the lessons thus learned in bringing a specifically pro-poor focus to policy discussions. We are pleased to share these interviews with you. |
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Markus Baechler (Sri Lanka)
Peter Bieler (Niger)
François Binder (India)
Denis Bugnard (Pakistan)
Roger Denzer (Ecuador)
Geneviève Federspiel (Nepal)
Jörg Frieden & Dibya Gurung (Nepal)
Urs Herren (Kyrgyzstan)
Beatrice Meyer (Peru)
Ueli Müller (Ukraine)
Ulrich Müller (Ethiopia)
Christian Poffet, Tahsinah Ahmed & Bhuyian Muhammad Imran (Bangladesh)
K.R. Viswanathan (India)
Jean-Luc Virchaux (Mali)
Pio Wenubst (Tanzania)
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 Markus Baechler
SDC Coordinator, Sri Lanka (2006 to present)
“We mainly try to influence the policy of the national government regarding peace, and respect for human rights. Since the resumption of hostilities in August 2006, SDC has concentrated on humanitarian assistance, but also increasingly on access to the victims. It has to be underlined that the goal of the programme is not poverty alleviation as such, but to contribute to conflict transformation.”
Key topics: humanitarian assistance, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), human rights, lessons from the conflict in Nepal
- Humanitarian assistance is the main focus of SDC’s activities, whilst acknowledging the Sri Lankan government’s pro-poor development strategy
- Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are considered the most vulnerable group, in need of special attention
- Human rights are a key issue of SDC’s country programme in Sri Lnka, in the escalating conflict situation
- The constructive lessons/experiences from Nepal in dealing with conflict, eg. establishing basic operational guidelines, have helped to guide SDC’s approach in Sri Lanka
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 Peter Bieler
SDC Country Director, Niger (2002 to 2006)
"For me it was shocking to find how little, in such a poor country, one can advance a pro-poor policy dialogue. When the majority of the population is living below the poverty line (however defined), everything seems by default to be declared as pro-poor."
Key topics: PRSP, “Do no harm”, poverty indicators, gender awareness
- Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper: Niger’s PRSP is highly regarded. SDC was active in its updating, particularly regarding the measurement of poverty
- “Do no harm”: SDC introduced this concept in Niger – it is widely appreciated but has not yet been incorporated at policy level
- Poverty indicators: a tool for measuring poverty, “degré de satisfaction des besoins essentiels” was developed with SDC assistance.
- Gender awareness: emphasis in field activities on participatory community decision-making resulted in more gender-balanced involvement.
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 François Binder
SDC Country Director, India (2005 to present)
"One cannot speak about influencing Indian policies. At SDC, we only talk in terms of contributing to policy development. Our approaches are often based on informal consultations and dialogue with central and state governments. For us it is most important to stay objective-oriented. If our partners can play a more important role, then this would be preferred.”
Key topics: policy contribution through local partners, policy contribution from field experience (watersheds, livestock, decentralisation), implementation of existing pro-poor policies
- Working through local partners in policy dialogue in addition to (or rather than)direct contact with government officials: examples in watershed policy development
- Specific examples of SDC-supported field experience being used in pro-poor policy formulation (particularly in watersheds, livestock)
- Supporting the effective implementation of existing pro-poor policies: a field example of support to gram panchayats (village councils) in Kerala
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 Denis Bugnard
SDC Country Director, Pakistan (2003 to 2007)
"We believe in grass-roots experiences combined with policy dialogue. SDC has a good reputation for quality, consistency, effectiveness and efficiency, quick and clear decision making, no hidden agenda, managing for results, grassroots expertise, human rights, is well positioned on microfinance and devolution, and has good knowledge of the local situation."
Key topics: PRSP, basket funding, gender awareness, HRBA, policy contribution from field experience
- Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper: active SDC contribution to its development, through a Donor Poverty Reduction Working Group
- Basket funding: contribution to pro-poor projects funded by multiple donors (eg. livelihoods, micro-finances)
- Gender awareness: involvement in specific policy dialogue through the Inter-Agency Gender and Development Group (INGAD), and indirectly through local partners
- Human Rights Based Approach: an overarching approach in the SDC country programme strategy in Pakistan (2006-2010), including child rights
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Specific examples of SDC-supported field experience being used in new policy formulation (natural resource management, micro-finance)
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 Roger Denzer
SDC Country Director, Ecuador (2001 to 2006)
“For the PRS, we sought to support the development of a strategy on the basis of learning the lessons of experience in other countries, not repeating the same mistakes in processing such an issue. Among others we emphasised that all relevant decision makers should come together, including the non traditional ones as well (among others parliament, political parties, private sector, media, military)”
Key topics: PRSP, facilitation/mediation, effective donor coordination, pro-poor outcomes in support for small banks and occupational skill development
- Working to develop a PRSP for Ecuador (not achieved during the time period discussed – or since) – strong collaboration with the UNDP and GTZ
- The role of SDC as facilitator/mediator role in policy dialogue – bringing together a wide range of Ecuadorean actors, different donors and Ecuadorean government representatives in policy discussions
- Positive experiences in facilitating donor coordination , with the establishment of seven different working groups including one on a PRS
- Pro-poor outcomes in assisting the Central Bank to support and recognise small banks, and supporting occupational skills development for the disadvantaged
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 Geneviève Federspiel
SDC Deputy Country Director, Nepal (2003 to 2008)
“SDC’s strength and comparative advantage is that we can refer in the pro-poor policy discussion to our field experiences and our closeness to the target group. Our approach in the pro-p oor policy discussion is to contribute through concrete and practical problems, rather than through abstract and theoretical discourses."
Key topics: social inclusion, identification of disadvantaged groups, policy contribution from field experience (roads), Functional Cost Performance Analysis
- Social Inclusion: Particular involvement with other like-minded donors in a Social Inclusion Action Group, SIAG. Within SDC-Nepal, a workforce diversity policy demonstrates commitment to fighting social discrimination
- SDC Nepal considers poverty to be strongly related to social discrimination (on the basis of caste, ethnicity and gender), and thus uses the concept of Disadvantaged Groups (DAGs)
- Specific examples of SDC-supported field experience being used in new policy formulation (particularly length workers on roads)
- Functional Cost Performance Analysis monitors the percentage of total funds reaching the target group, disaggregated by economic poverty and social discrimination
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  Jörg Frieden and Dibya Gurung
SDC Country Director, Nepal (2003 to July 2007), and Senior Programme Officer (2001 to 2008)
“It is easy to get policy right on paper, but far more difficult to put it into practice. I don’t think SDC is an organisation that should focus too much on getting the papers right – there are other specialists, academics, who can do that. The policies are skeletons without flesh, without life – they don’t deliver. The real challenge is to implement policy at the local level – in the districts, in remote areas.”
Key topics: identification of disadvantaged groups, policy contribution from field experience (rural infrastructure), implementation of existing pro-poor policies, Functional Cost Performance Analysis, Fulfilling Performance Agreement
- Social discrimination is closely tied with poverty in Nepal – SDC thus works with the concept of Disadvantaged Groups, DAGs and with user groups.
- Supporting the effective implementation of existing pro-poor policies: a specific example of community pharmacies
- Functional Cost Performance Analysis monitors the percentage of total funds reaching the target group, disaggregated by economic poverty and social discrimination
- Fulfilling Performance Agreement uses pro-poor indicators in annual planning
- Gender awareness and social inclusion: Particular involvement in policy discussions through a Gender Poverty and Social Exclusion (GPSE) Monitoring Task Team.
- The internal conflict in Nepal served to heighten SDC’s poverty focus, including working in remote areas
- Being consciously pro-poor in project implementation: examples in agriculture, forestry
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 Urs Herren
SDC Coordinator, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan (2002 to 2006)
“It is our grassroots experience that gives us credibility. The vertical link between what you do at local (community) level and the policy level is crucial – you cannot participate in policy dialogue in a meaningful way if you don’t have field experience.”
Key topics: PRSP; pro-poor donor coordination; policy contribution from field experience (community health); (proposed) social mitigation system
- PRSP: Unlike other countries in transition, Kyrgyzstan has a pro-poor agenda, and a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
- Pro-poor donor coordination in policy dialogue through a Donor Coordination Council, linking discussions to the MDGs
- Specific examples of SDC-supported field experience being used in new policy formulation (particularly community health)
- A social mitigation system for the use of energy by the poor was proposed and supported by the donor community, but was politically highly unpopular and thus not introduced.
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 Beatrice Meyer
SDC Country Director, Peru (2003 to 2007)
“In our example from last year, the most visible outcome has been the acceptance by almost every political party of pro-poor economic growth as one of the most important challenges for Peru in the coming years. The main challenge was to take advantage of the election process in order to introduce pro-poor issues into the political debate.”
Key topics: pro-poor economic growth, bringing policy debate to the election process, policy contribution through local partners
- Pro-poor economic growth is seen in the SDC country programme strategy for Peru (2008-2011) as a prerequisite for equal, inclusive and sustainable development
- Bringing pro-poor issues to debate in the national, regional and municipal elections is described – using a study by a Peruvian university as a basis for discussion
- Working through local partners (“political incidence versus policy dialogue”) was found effective
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 Ueli Müller
SDC Country Director, Ukraine (2004 to 2008)
“The whole focus here is on transition. The closest we get to poverty in the former country programme strategy is to have a commitment to “alleviating the negative effects of transition”. But leaving aside the word “poverty”, projects do have a pro-poor element in them”.
Key topics: poverty in a transition context; policy contribution from field experience (prison reform)
- The challenge of pro-poor dialogue in the context of transition - poverty is not discussed openly, but is referred to as a “negative effect of transition”
- Specific examples of SDC-supported field experience being used in new policy formulation (particularly prison reform)
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 Ulrich Müller
Senior Field Adviser, OCHA, Ethiopia (on secondment to OCHA from SDC 2003 to present)
“For me, the big issue in Ethiopia is that of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and trying to halt the slide towards them becoming completely destitute. The task of my team within OCHA is the practical one of ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches the victims of conflict and disaster, and that they survive. In my daily life, I am more a humanitarian fire-fighter than a strategic thinker on poverty reduction.” Key topics: humanitarian assistance, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), humanitarian needs assessment, regional and district level policy dialogue
- Humanitarian assistance: donor coordination regarding theEthiopian government’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP)
- Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are considered the most vulnerable group; a (multi-donor) Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF) for rapid deployment of relief is targeted at IDPs.
- Humanitarian needs assessment: a method used in Ethiopia is Economic Household Approach (EHA) – based on livelihood strategies
- In Ethiopia, OCHA interacts particularly with district and regional level administrations (which then engage in federal level policy discussions).
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 Christian Poffet, Tahsinah Ahmed and Bhuiyan Muhammad Imran
SDC Deputy Country Director, Bangladesh (2003 to 2007), Senior Programme Officer Education (2001 to 2007) and Senior Programme Officer MSEP (2001 to 2007)
“To broaden the base for pro-poor policy advocacy, we work with a mix of different partners such as central and local government, NGOs, civil society including private enterprises, other bilateral donors and international organisations at the micro, meso and macro levels. In general all donor agencies in Bangladesh include a pro-poor focus in their agenda even though not all in the same way. SDC has the image of being extreme poor oriented.” Key topics: extreme poor, working with multiple partners including local NGOs and educational institutions, poverty monitoring system, pro-poor outcomes with respect to micro-finance and non-formal education
- SDC places particular focus on the extreme poor in both field activities and policy discussions
- In policy discussions, SDC particularly seeks to involve local partner NGOs and educational institutions (notably BRAC, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee University) to bring in the voice of the poor and extreme poor.
- SDC Bangladesh has a poverty monitoring system, a working tool focusing on social inclusion, targeting the extreme poor and gender – used with all partners
- Particular pro-poor outcomes are highlighted with regard to field and policy-level activities in support of micro-finance and non-formal education for the extreme poor and disadvantaged groups.
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 Jean-Luc Virchaux
SDC Country Director, Mali (2003 to 2008)
"Est ce qu’on peut oser dire que la pauvreté est un problème ici au Mali en sachant qu’il y a environ 64% de personnes jugées pauvres? Quand 64% de la population est dans cette situation, une stratégie pro pauvre, il faut bien y réfléchir car elle ne peut se réfléchir qu’en terme de disparité, d’inégalité. Je reste persuadé que dans un pays comme le Mali le 1er souci à l’heure actuelle est la plus grande efficacité d’une action ou d’une coopération qui devrait s’orienter beaucoup plus sur la production de la richesse." Key topics: pro-poor growth (croissance pro pauvre), inequalities (inégalités), working with local partners (partenaires nationaux), focus at the level of local and regional governments (gouvernements régionaux et locaux)
- Pro-poor growth is a key strategy of SDC in Mali in the light of more than half the population being considered very poor – the focus is on increasing wealth (production de la richesse), and on more equitable wealth distribution
- Tackling inequalities is a major challenge – inequalities between a minority of very rich and a majority of very poor; and geographically between the capital (where wealth is concentrated) and remote areas (where poverty is high)
- Where possible, SDC works through its local partners in policy dialogue supporting pro-poor growth
- In line with focusing on interventions in the poorest, remote areas, SDC is particularly engaged in dialogue with local and regional governments.
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 KR. Viswanathan
SDC National Programme Officer, India (1999 to present)
“One of the best ways in which we could contribute to policy development is through articulation of field-based experiences and lessons together with the context. At times, we have been successful in influencing policies when we do not use the word ‘policy’ in our interactions!”
Key topics: Linking field experiences to policy dialogue (eg. decentralisation); networking with decision-makers; implementation of existing pro-poor policies; donor and multiple stakeholder platforms
- Linking field experiences to policy dialogue at national and State level; pro-poor outcomes in decentralisation, livestock, watersheds
- Networking with decision-makers (informal discussions, participating in committees and commissions) to make pro-poor policy contributions
- Supporting the implementation of existing pro-poor policies – eg. the Common Minimum Programme
- Facilitating or coordinating donor platforms, or broader multiple stakeholder platforms, on specific policy issues
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 Pio Wennubst
SDC Country Director, Tanzania (2003 to 2007)
"In general, policy dialogue is an important part of my job as Country Director and of the team. It takes about half of my time. Working in market-oriented production is not with the poorest. How far can we serve the most under-served in entering the market? Frankly speaking, according to me this is limited. I find this a difficult issue and a rather grey area between humanitarian aid and social development." Key topics: donor harmonisation, general budget support, sector wide approach, reaching the poorest of the poor
- Donor harmonisation: SDC Tanzania works closely with other donors in the health sector, in a Development Partner Group (DPG). This group focuses on the diseases typically linked with poverty – malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis.
- Through General Budget Support (GBS), Switzerland is directly engaged in policy dialogue related to the implementation of the Mkukuta, the Tanzanian Poverty Reduction Strategy
- Sector wide approach: Switzerland acts in a coordinated manner with other donors to support the Tanzanian government in the health sector.
- A successful outcome in reaching the poorest of the poor is that of supporting – with other donors – a special voucher scheme for Insecticide Treated Bed Nets (ITNs) which provide protection against malaria.
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If you have an experience of working with pro-poor policy that you'd like to share, or if you have comments about this interview, please get in touch!
Under More on Pro-Poor Policy, a discussion paper and selected annotated bibliography on pro-poor policy are available. Under Further Reading and Links, we provide a selected list of additional resources.
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