Algeria is in its early stage of transition from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven economy. The Government has articulated a comprehensive national development agenda focused on reforms to sustain growth, generate employment, and reduce poverty and vulnerability. Seventy percent of Algeria’s poor live in rural areas and more than half of the rural population is poor. The rise in poverty is strongly linked to unemployment. However, lack of opportunity, empowerment and access to social services also contribute to deepening income poverty.

The Government of Algeria (GoA) has expressed interest in harmonization and is developing effective partnerships with donors. GoA has been deeply engaged with the WB on the education, health, agriculture and rural development reforms’ agenda. The Government sees these reforms as crucial to the growth, employment and poverty reduction strategy.

Other active donors in Algeria are the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, AfDB, African Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Canada, EC, EIB, FAO, France (AfD), IsDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, the Kuwaiti Development Fund, the Saudi Fund for Development, UN agencies (UNCTAD, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNIFEM), USAID, WFP and WHO.

A Gender Thematic Group (comprising of UNFPA, WHO, WFP, UNDP, UNICEF and ILO) meets regularly. UNDP and FAO have helped formulate a Gender Action Plan to integrate women in the development process.

The joint WB/EC Program on Private Participation in Mediterranean Infrastructure (PPMI) fosters private participation and competition in infrastructure in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, e.g. Algeria. PPMI is based in the Bank’s office in Brussels.

FAO has ongoing technical assistance (food security, agricultural land, pesticides and aviaries) supporting the National Plan for Agricultural Development.

Details of a harmonization program are to be determined. However, initial areas for harmonization are likely to be procurement and capacity building.

The Republic of Benin completed its PRSP in December 2002. The document describes the National Development Program centered around four pillars:

• Consolidating macroeconomic stability through accelerated private-sector-led growth and rigorous public finance management.
• Improving access to basic education, literacy, primary health care, safe water, and deepening the fight agains prevention of new HIV/AIDS infection, malaria and tuberculosis, with specific attention to vulnerable groups, especially women.
• Strengthening good governance and reinforcing institutional capacities.
• Promoting long-term employment and building capacity for poor people to participate in the decision-making process and in production.

Benin reached the Completion Point under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative in March 2003. HIPC assistance is being used to finance poverty-reducing expenditures.

The PRSP and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) , endorsed by the IMF and World Bank in March 2003, is becoming a benchmark plan for donor assistance.

The 'Observatoire de Changement Sociale' (OCS) is the mechanism for the monitoring and evaluation of the PRSP and is being supported by Denmark, Germany (GTZ, KfW), Switzerland, UNDP, and the World Bank. The first annual progress report of the PRSP was scheduled for end March 2004.

Benin's major partners (AfDB, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, EC, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, UN, USA, and the WB) participate actively in the ongoing elaboration of sector strategies as well as in thematic groups in the areas of rural development, private sector development, judicial sector reform, food security, HIV/AIDS, health and education. Since the PRSP has been finalised, Benin's development partners are expressing greater interest in harmonising their assistance around it. Already, those partners involved in providing programmatic support for the reform program are working to harmonize around Benin's own budgetary, procurement, and financial management procedures. Switzerland leads the bilateral donor coordination group.

Denmark and Germany (GTZ) have concluded a delegated cooperation agreement for strengthening the capacities of the OCS. GTZ is the silent partner.

The first Public Expenditure Review done since 1997, was completed in 2004 and was a joint effort of Denmark and the WB. Denmark provided the chapter on rural water supply and sanitation.

Benin is a UN pilot. All the major UN agencies are represented in that country.

FAO, UNFPA, WHO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR have adopted a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation tool and indicators (BENINFO), designed to monitor PRSP implementation and progress towards MDGs .

The first Millennium Development Goals (MDG) report was published in 2003.

As part of the reforms carried out since 1997, the United Nations agencies operating at country level have been pursuing a unified approach toward national development goals. This is accomplished through various tools to simplify and improve collaborative functioning of the agencies' preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of country programs.

The UN family, especially the agencies that make up the Executive Committee of the United Nations Development Group, that is, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, has developed the following instruments and procedures designed to ensure simplified UN procedures, while ensuring flexibility to better respond to specific country situations and needs:

• harmonized, results-based terminology,
• Common Country Assessment (CCA) - a situation analysis tool,
• United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) - a planning tool,
• results matrix for the UNDAF which adds focus on the outcomes to be achieved,
• guidelines on collaborative and Joint Programming,
• common country program action plans and work plans,
• common approach to national execution,
• common, systematic monitoring and evaluation plans and
• common donor reporting.

The Benin pilot focuses on programming procedures, including preparation of projects and programs, and reporting and monitoring.