Multilateral Organisations Performance Assessment: Opportunities and Limitations for Harmonisation among Development Agencies

Donors’ concern with assessing multilateral organisations’ performance reflects an increased focus on effectiveness and development results. The international community is
addressing these issues as essential part of the common effort to achieve the internationally
agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper proposes a taxonomy of
four main purposes why bilateral agencies may consider multilateral performance assessments.

Unfortunately no single approach currently practiced is appropriate for all four
purposes. It is suggested that bilateral agencies should not seek the one magic all-inclusive
approach. While recognising the importance of donors’ political and administrative traditions,
three types of donor systems are identified: (a) donors that “administrate multilateral
performance”, (b) donors showing “management of multilateral performances” and (c)
donors exercising “multilateral performance management”. In practice and with regard to
harmonization, a modularised strategy seems to be a functional way to make multilateral
performance assessment work for all.