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Commonly used terms. This list is compiled from the World Bank and DFID glossaries of terms. Accession CountriesCountries in the process of joining the European Union. Administrative CostsDFID administrative costs include the running costs of DFID Headquarters, overseas costs of staff in agreed diplomatic posts concerned with full time aid administration, including Staff Appointed in Country employed by DFID; expenditure in respect of residual rent liability on the Chatham Maritime site arising from the terms agreed for the privatisation of DFID's former next steps agency, the Natural Resources Institute; and those elements of Foreign and Commonwealth Office and CDC Capital Partners, formerly known as Commonwealth Development Corporation, administration costs which are related to aid delivery. Aid UntyingThe ending of the practice of most donors to insist that aid is spent on goods and services from the donor country in favour of giving unrestricted access to those who can compete best on price, quality and service. AIDSAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Bilateral AidBilateral aid is provided to developing countries and countries in transition on the Development Assistance Committee List on a country to country basis, and to institutions, normally in Britain, working in fields related to these countries. Balance of Payments (BOP)An overall statement of a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world over some period of time, consisting of the current account, capital account and changes in official foreign exchange reserves. This BOP can also refer to the difference in total receipts and expenditure for any category. Bretton Woods Institutions (BWI)Collective name for World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), institutions established in 1944 at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Budgetary assistance or Budget SupportBudget Support is a form of programmatic aid in which: a. Funds are provided in support of a government programme that focuses on growth and poverty reduction, and transforming institutions, especially budgetary; b. The funds are provided to a partner government to spend using its own financial management and accountability systems.
Civil Society OrganisationsAll Civic Organisations, associations and networks which occupy the "Social space" between the family and the State who come together to advocate their common interests through collective action. It includes volunteer and charity groups, parents and teachers associations, senior citizens groups, sports clubs, arts and culture groups, faith-based groups, workers clubs and trade unions, non-profit think-tanks and "issue-based" activist groups. Concessional Resources(1) Development assistance with a grant element normally greater than 35%. (2) Loan provided to poorest countries with lower interest rates and longer repayment periods than typical or standard market or multilateral loans, i.e. less than market interest rates and extended grace period. Also known as a soft loan. Countries in transitionTerm used to describe former Soviet countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and China, Mongolia and Vietnam. Country Assistance PlansDFID has produced or is producing Country Assistance Plans for all countries where we provide development assistance programmes. These plans, produced in consultation with governments, business, civil society, and others within the country concerned and within the UK, set out how we aim to contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the country in question. Country Assistance Plans are normally intended to cover a three to four year period. For some groups of countries a Regional Strategy Paper is produced. Debt ReliefDebt Relief may take the form of cancellation, rescheduling, refinancing or re-organisation. Interest and principal foregone from debt cancellation forms part of DFID programme expenditure whilst other debt relief is funded from other official sources. a. Debt cancellation (or Retrospective Terms Adjustment) is relief from the burden of repaying both the principal and interest on past loans; b. Debt rescheduling is a form of relief by which the dates on which principal or interest payments are due are delayed or rearranged; c. Official bilateral debts are re-organised in the Paris Club of official bilateral creditors, in which the UK plays its full part. The Paris Club has devised increasing generous arrangements for reducing and rescheduling the debt of the poorest countries; most recently agreeing new terms for the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Debt ServicePayments due under debt contracts. This includes payment of interest as it becomes due and payments of the original amount borrowed (principal). Where debt is long dated, a large proportion of the debt service may consist of interest payments.Department for International Development(DfID)UK Government department for International Development, formerly the Overseas Development Administration (ODA). Direct InvestmentAn investment made to acquire or increase the productive capacity of a country, eg in machinery, factory or business. DollarizationThe replacement of domestic currency by the United States dollar. In doing so, the country gives up its control of monetary policy. This is generally a response to a total lack of confidence in the domestic currency, often associated with high and prolonged inflation.
European CommunityThe 15 member states and the common institutions, notably the European Commission, co-operating on a range of economic and other issues in supra-national integration. European Development FundThe European Development Fund is the main route through which EC funds committed to the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific under the Cotonou Convention are channelled. European UnionCreated by the Treaty of Maastricht 1992, which enhanced the integration of the European Community but also enabled the member states to co-operate together in an inter-governmental, not supra-national, way in the areas of Common Foreign and Security Policy Justice and Home Affairs. Financial AidFinancial Aid in the wider sense is defined as a grant or loan of money which is the subject of a formal agreement with the recipient government or institution. In practice it is all bilateral aid except technical co-operation and administrative costs. GlobalizationThe growing independence and interconnectedness of the modern world through increased flows of goods, services, capital, people and information. The process is driven by technological advances and reductions in the costs of integrated transactions, which spread technology and ideas, raise the share of trade in world production and increase the mobility of capital. Gross Domestic ProductThe total value of goods and services produced within a country. Gross National IncomePreviously known as Gross National Product, Gross National Income comprises the total value of goods and services produced within a country (i.e. its Gross Domestic Product), together with its income received from other countries (notably interest and dividends), less similar payments made to other countries. G7/G8 GroupThe G7 Group of major industrialised democracies comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. The Group of Eight (G8) includes Russia. Their Heads of Government meet annually at the G7/G8 Summit to discuss areas of global concern. Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative
HIPCHeavily Indebted Poor Countries - see above HIVHuman Immunodeficiency Virus Humanitarian AssistanceHumanitarian Assistance comprises disaster relief, food aid, refugee relief and disaster preparedness. It generally involves the provision of material aid including food, medical care and personnel) and finance and advice to save and preserve lives during emergency situations and in the immediate post- emergency rehabilitation phase; and to cope with short and longer term population displacements arising out of emergencies. IDPsInternally Displaced People IDTsInternational Development Targets IMFInternational Monetary Fund Income GroupsThe classification of aid recipient countries by income groups is based on Gross National Income per capita figures in 1998 according to the thresholds set out below.
Institutional Strategy PapersInstitutional Strategy Papers are designed to set DFID's partnerships with multilateral development institutions in a strategic framework. The papers are prepared in consultation with that institution and other interested parties and set out the objectives for our partnership with that institution. Institutional Strategy Papers have been or are being prepared for our main partner institutions and will normally be produced every three to four years. Intellectual Property RightsNational and international systems provide for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Intellectual property constitutes private property rights over ideas and inventions. The principal Intellectual Property Rights are copyrights (material which can be reproduced only with permission of the owner, who can charge for it), patents (product designs or processes which can be used only with permission of the owner, who can charge for it), trademarks (registered marks that exclusively identify a product or economic entity, which cannot be used by others), and industrial designs. International Development AssociationPart of the World Bank Group which makes loans to countries at concessional rates (i.e. below market rates) of interest. International Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund aims to promote international monetary cooperation, exchange stability, and orderly exchange arrangements; to foster economic growth and high levels of employment; and to provide temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment. IPCCIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Established in 1988, its first report provided the initial scientific evidence of climate change. Least Developed CountryLeast Developed Countries are those assessed as having particularly severe long-term constraints to development. Inclusion on the list of Least Developed Countries is now assessed on two main criteria: economic diversity and quality of life. Low Income CountriesCountries in the Low Income Group, as defined in Income Groups. Middle Income CountriesCountries in the lower middle and upper middle income groups (see Income Groups). Millennium Development GoalsA set of eight international development goals for 2015, adopted by the international community in the UN Millennium Declaration in September 2000, and endorsed by IMF, World Bank and OECD. These are set out in full in Annex 4. Multilateral AidAid channeled through international bodies for use in or on behalf of aid recipient countries. Aid channeled through multilateral agencies is regarded as bilateral where DFID specifies the use and destination of the funds. NGONon-governmental organization - see below Non governmental organizationsThese are private non-profit making bodies which are active in development work. To qualify for official support UK non governmental organizations must be registered charities. OECDOrganization for Economic Co-operation and Development - see below Official AidThis is the equivalent, for countries on Part II of the Development Assistance Committee List, of official development assistance to countries on Part I of the Development Assistance List (i.e. developing countries). To qualify as official aid, resource flows should have the same concessional and qualitative features as official development assistance. Official Development AssistanceOfficial development assistance is defined as those flows to developing countries and multilateral institutions provided by official agencies or by their executive agencies, which meet the following tests: a. it is administered with the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its main objective;and b. it is concessional in character and conveys a grant element of at least 25%. Only aid to countries on Part I of the Development Assistance Committee List is eligible to be recorded as official development assistance. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)A group of 30 industrial countries promoting growth and high employment among its members, fostering international trade and contributing to global economic development. Partnership Programme AgreementsPPAs are agreements between DFID and influential civil society organisations in the UK which set out at a strategic level how the two partners will work together to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Strategic funding is provided, linked to to jointly agreed strategic objectives. Poverty Reduction StrategiesPoverty Reduction Strategies are prepared by developing country governments in collaboration with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as well as civil society and development partners. These documents describe the country's macroeconomic, structural and social policies and programmes to promote growth and reduce poverty, as well as associated external financing needs and major sources of financing. Programme AidProgramme aid is financial assistance specifically to fund (i) a range of imports, or (ii) an integrated programme of support for a particular sector, or (iii) discrete elements of a recipient's budgetary expenditure. In most cases, support is provided as part of a World Bank/International Monetary Fund co-ordinated structural adjustment programme. PRSPPoverty Reduction Strategy Paper - see above Public Private PartnershipA Public/Private Partnership brings public and private sectors together in partnership for mutual benefit. The term Public Private Partnership covers a wide range of different partnerships, including the introduction of private sector ownership into businesses that are currently state-owned, the Private Finance Initiative, and selling Government services into wider markets. Public Service AgreementA set of measurable targets for the Department's work, as required by the White Paper Public Services for the Future: Modernisation, Reform, Accountability (CM4181). See Annexes 2 & 3 for DFID's Public Service Agreement. Regional Development BanksInternational Development Banks which serve particular regions, for example the African Development Bank or the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Sector wide approaches or sector investment programmesA sector wide approach is a process that entails all significant donor funding for a sector supporting a single, comprehensive sector policy and expenditure programme, consistent with a sound macro-economic framework, under recipient government leadership. Donor support for a sector wide approach can take any form project aid, technical assistance or budgetary support although there should be a commitment to progressive reliance on government procedures to disburse and account for all funds as these procedures are strengthened. Security SectorThe security sector is defined as those who are, or should be, responsible for protecting the state and communities within the state. This includes military, paramilitary, intelligence and police services as well as those civilian structures responsible for oversight and control of the security forces and for the administration of justice. Service Delivery AgreementA document which defines the outputs and subsidiary targets which will contribute towards delivery of the targets in the Public Service Agreement. Spending ReviewA fundamental re-evaluation of priorities, objectives and targets by the UK Government, which establishes a three year planning cycle, including spending plans, for all departments. The 2000 Spending Review runs from 2003/04 to 2005/06. Strategic Grant AgreementsDFID agrees Strategic Grant Agreements (SGAs) with UK civil society organisations for whom international development is not their main focus but who have the potential to work constructively and strategically with DFID in helping to reduce poverty. SGAs aim to contribute to a stronger, better informed and more effective UK community for international development. Strategies for Achieving the International Development Targets (or Target Strategy Papers)These DFID papers set out the key development challenges to be addressed in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The papers also explore the action needed by the international community, developing country governments, civil society, the private sector and others in order to achieve the targets. Finally the papers explain what DFID will do to contribute to that effort. Technical Co-operation/Technical AssistanceTechnical co-operation is the provision of advice and/or skills, in the form of specialist personnel, training and scholarship, grants for research and associated costs. UNFCCUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This represents the international community's collective response to climate change. It was established at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development which was held in Rio. World BankThe term World Bank is commonly used to refer to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association. Three other agencies are also part of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. Together these organizations are referred to as the World Bank Group. World Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization exists to ensure that trade between nations flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. To achieve this, the World Trade Organization provides and regulates the legal framework which governs world trade. Decisions in the World Trade Organization are typically taken by consensus among the 146 member countries and are ratified by members' parliaments.
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