Fast-track Initiative
The Fast-track Initiative (FTI) is a global partnership forged in 2002 to ensure accelerated progress towards the achievement of Universal Primary Education and follows the principles of the Monterrey conference such as mutual partner accountability and aid harmonisation.
This initiative targets low income countries which meet the two following criteria:
- the recipient country must submit a full World Bank endorsedPoverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP);
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the recipient country must submit a sound education sector plan.
Fast-track Initiative: objectives and guiding principles
This partnership aims to ensure effectiveness and encourage both donors to scale up aid and developing countries to design sound sectoral policies.
The first objective is to reallocate aid for education to the poorest and most lagging countries in terms of basic education. The focus is therefore on Africa, countries benefiting from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and “orphan” countries with few donors.
The second objective aims to step up aid effectiveness:
- by sectoral nationally-appropriate policies;
- by stakeholder accountability, firstly recipient countries in charge of implementing policies, as well as donors for more predictable aid;
- by harmonising and coordinating interventions by technical and financial partners;
- by monitoring indicators based on the Fast-Track Initiative Framework. This reference framework was empirically based on values observed in poor countries which had achieved universal education. It aims to support public policy piloting and effectively monitor country performance;
- by reducing transaction costs for the recipient country thanks to donor harmonisation and coordination.
The third objective targets financial resources. The Fast-Track Initiative aims to encourage donors to scale up aid amounts to eligible countries. By supporting countries in terms of their education policy performance donors can provide long-term and scaled up financing.
The fourth objective involves sharing best practices between countries and donors in order to design effective education policies.
Technical and financial methods
Fast-Track eligible countries deal directly with financial partners. Their Fast-Track eligibility aims to allow them to attract new donors and receive scaled up aid with improved coordination.
Two specific trust funds have been set up Along parallel to the general procedure:
- The Catalytic Fund: a multi-donor trust fund financed by 9 countries allowing “orphan” countries to benefit from resources for 2 to 3 years in order to implement their programmes, demonstrate efficient policies and attract new donors.
- The Education Program Development Fund: a multi-donor fund for countries which do not yet have an education sector programme. It finances a technical partnership between donors and developing countries for national capacity building and to design education programmes likely to be eligible for the Fast-Track Initiative.
This initiative also marks a changeover from a project approach to a programme approach in terms of financing methods. As far as possible donors give priority to budget support or basket funding in order to develop a national sector programme.
Fast-Track Initiative: review and evolution
Can it be said that momentum has been created by the Fast-Track Initiative since it was set up a few years ago? Official development assistance has ideed risen in the education sector: education accounted for 1.8%of global ODA in 1999 and 3% in 2003, representing 1.9 billion dollars.
The number of countries involved in the initiative has also risen: 7 eligible countries in 2002 compared with 20 today and 34 benefiting from technical assistance. 40 additional countries may join the initiative by 2008.
AFD action in the framework of the Fast-Track Initiative
AFD financing gives priority to Fast-Track eligible countries.