Programming Framework

2005-2010

Introduction
Goal
Objectives
Strategic Programming Approaches
Special Considerations
Performance Measurement Strategy
Conclusion

Introduction

Development Context

China is an important developing country. Its huge size and far-reaching reforms have helped to make it an emerging economic and political power and a key participant in multilateral fora. Market systems have been introduced, government responsibilities have been decentralized, and there has been a dramatic increase in economic openness. While significant issues remain to be resolved, these reforms have contributed to an unparalleled reduction in the number of poor in China over the last two decades and have made the country an increasingly important player in regional and international economic affairs.

Despite these steps forward, China still faces enormous challenges, many of which are significant from a global perspective. Unsustainable development has had a devastating impact on China's environment. Massive floods, severe erosion, excessive levels of pollution, and one of the highest rates of desertification in the world are imposing enormous burdens on China's people and economy and putting long-term progress at risk. Moreover, the impact of these problems is being felt well beyond the country's borders. China has become the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and its pollution and sandstorms are now being blown across the Pacific as far away as western Canada.

The incomplete nature of China's governance reforms is also creating important problems that have the potential to affect the stability of the country. Although there is now more personal freedom in China than at any other point in its history, not everyone has benefited from these changes, and there are ongoing human rights concerns. One of the key challenges facing the government is how to manage economic, social, and legal inequities that have developed in recent years. Large parts of Chinese society have been impacted by discrimination in labour market practices and government service delivery as well as a lack of effective regulatory, legal, and judicial systems to prevent these issues and provide redress. Migrant workers, women, and ethnic minorities have been particularly affected.

To facilitate its reform process and help overcome these challenges, the Government of China has adopted new policies and programs to further economic and political reforms, ensure more balanced and sustainable development, and enhance the rule of law. As part of these efforts, China has ratified more than 200 international treaties and conventions, including key multilateral environment agreements and most of the United Nations core human rights treaties. The Government of China has invested substantial financial resources in these priorities but is facing significant implementation problems. It realizes systemic changes are required and is seeking outside expertise and experience to increase the effectiveness of its programs.

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Canada's Role

China is a country of strategic importance to Canada and the world, and it is in Canada's interest to support Chinese reforms that matter to Canadians. Environmental problems in China can impact on Canada directly and have global consequences including climate change and desertification. Canadian values and China's increasing openness to work with us on human rights, legal, and judicial reforms provide a strong rationale for further human rights, democratic development, and good governance programming. Beyond these issues, Canada has an interest in ensuring that China remains stable and becomes increasingly integrated into the global community. Helping the Chinese to build a more democratic country with greater respect for human rights and the environment is beneficial, not only to China, but to Canada and the world.

Canada has an effective development cooperation partnership with China that provides a solid base on which to address shared interests. Since the 1980s, Canada has provided training and technical assistance through projects that have achieved meaningful results supportive of Chinese reforms and Canadian interests. Given the enormous size of China and its economic growth, Canada does not provide funds to the government of China. Instead, we provide Canadian expertise to assist the country in undertaking reforms that China, itself, is implementing and funding. The cooperation program involves many Chinese and Canadian partners including government agencies, public and private sector enterprises, academic institutions, as well as community based and other civil society organizations.

As part of Canada's International Policy Statement, it was announced that CIDA would concentrate two-thirds of its country-to-country assistance on 25 developing countries. Given its recent economic growth, China is not one of these countries. However, as a country of strategic importance to Canada and the world, China remains eligible for a portion of the remaining one-third of CIDA's bilateral budget earmarked for matters of particular concern. In this context, future development programming with China will focus exclusively on human rights, democratic development, good governance, and environment issues of critical importance to Canadians. Equitable growth and poverty reduction programming with China will be phased out.

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Goal

To contribute to sustainable development in China through support for human rights, democratic development, good governance, and environmental sustainability in accordance with Chinese government development strategies and the Millennium Development Goals.

The goal and objectives of CIDA's China Country Development Programming Framework have been revised to reflect the more focused approach arising out of the International Policy Statement. The continued priority given to human rights, democratic development, good governance, and environmental sustainability reflects Chinese, Canadian, and global interests in further reforms in these areas. Gender equality as a cross-cutting theme will continue as a strategic programming approach that will be emphasized in all initiatives. Other continuing strategic programming approaches are outlined below.

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Objectives

Human Rights, Democratic Development, and Good Governance

To contribute to human rights, democratic development, and good governance in China through cooperation focusing on the rule of law, including legal, judicial, governmental, and legislative institutions, and standards and requirements of international instruments to which Canada and China are party.

CIDA programming under this objective will support the rule of law as a means to uphold the human rights of women and men, achieve economic, environmental, and social objectives, and facilitate integration with global systems. An emphasis will be placed on providing expertise to build the capacity of legal, judicial, governmental, and legislative institutions to effectively uphold the principles of equity and justice and to implement the standards and requirements of international instruments to which Canada and China are parties. Potential areas for sharing experience include the management of judicial institutions, legal aid systems, legislative consultation processes, the role of bar associations, and the implementation of international human rights, anti-corruption, and multilateral environment agreements, including climate change conventions.

Environmental Sustainability

To promote environmental sustainability in China through support for Chinese efforts to manage environmental issues in rural western regions of China by enhancing the capacity of China's land resource management systems.

CIDA programming under this objective will support Chinese efforts to reform land resource management systems as a means to enhance environmental sustainability and ecological protection in rural western regions of the country. Unsustainable land management practices in China are not only a major source of erosion, desertification, climate change, and water problems, but also have significant economic and social impacts on China's remaining rural poor, the vast majority of whom are women and ethnic minorities. Potential areas of Canadian expertise that could be of value include land-use planning models, interdepartmental and intergovernmental coordination mechanisms, agricultural training systems, program management, monitoring, and evaluation, and participatory watershed management processes to increase public involvement in community level environmental decisions.

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Strategic Programming Approaches

Strategic programming approaches will be incorporated to increase the aid effectiveness of projects in achieving the goal and objectives of the China CDPF. The approaches outlined below will serve as criteria for the design of directed projects and the selection of unsolicited proposals that are supportive of the China CDPF objectives. They build on lessons learned from CIDA and other donor programming in China and are designed to reinforce the principles of Strengthening Aid Effectiveness and Key Agency Enabling Results related to local ownership, collaborative partnerships, donor coordination, policy-based programming, and geographic focus.

• Local ownership: Strong and clear Chinese ownership, as demonstrated by existing Chinese policies, programs, and funding, will be a key basis for programming decisions.
• Policy-based programming: Emphasis will be given to providing input on policy and management issues (e.g. China Council for International Co-operation on Environment and Development) as a means to introduce new approaches and increase the effectiveness of existing Chinese initiatives.
• Geographic focus: Beyond policy interventions at the central level, CIDA pilot projects related to environmental sustainability will focus on the rural areas of western China where land degradation issues are particularly severe.
• Macro-micro linkages: Connections between macro-level policies and programs in China and micro-level pilot project initiatives will be emphasized in all activities as a way to leverage Chinese support and ensure sustainability and replication
• Cross-linkages: Priority will be given to designing and selecting projects that support cross-linkages between CDPF objectives.
• Gender equality as a cross-cutting theme will be emphasized in all programming, and specific measures (e.g. gender related projects and analysis) will be supported to ensure gender equality results are achieved related to the CDPF objectives. The China bilateral program's Gender Equality Strategy will be updated to help guide CIDA programming.
• Ethnic minorities: Consideration will be given to the particular challenges faced by minority women and men in China, and specific programming mechanisms will be incorporated within CIDA projects. A new ethnic minorities strategy will be developed to help guide CIDA programming in this field.
• Participatory approaches: Opportunities to employ gender-sensitive participatory approaches will be sought to enhance the effectiveness and ownership of policy and program measures arising from project activities and to demonstrate the relevance of public participation in decision-making for sound development management.
• Partnerships: Integrated stakeholder involvement including national, provincial, and local levels of government, public and private sector enterprises, and civil society organizations in China (including women's organizations) will be pursued in each project as appropriate.
• Donor coordination: Collaboration with other donors will be emphasized through shared research, planning, and evaluation as well as coordinated project implementation.

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Special Considerations

CIDA will work with China, other donors, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and other Canadian government agencies to keep a watching brief on emerging issues of critical importance to Canada that could require an adjustment in CIDA's future programming. For example, given the potential threat of new infectious diseases such as SARS and Avian Flu arising in China, further resources could be allocated for programming to support Chinese efforts to prevent the emergence and spread of these diseases which are of concern to Canada and the global community.

Other issues could benefit from Agency-wide program resources from thematic funding mechanisms within CIDA not specifically focused on China. For example, China has already benefited from program resources through CIDA's allocation under Canada's Climate Change Development Fund and could benefit further should this Fund be replenished.

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Performance Measurement Strategy

CIDA's performance in achieving the China CDPF objectives will be measured against the following expected results. While Canada is well placed to contribute to the expected results, large-scale achievement of the outcomes and impacts will depend on the follow-up actions of the Chinese government, public and private sector enterprises, and civil society. Chinese government funding will be particularly important to the realization and sustainability of these results. Although this statement could be made for any country in which CIDA is active, it is particularly the case in China where the scale of issues is so large compared to the resources of international donors. This further underlines the importance of Chinese ownership and the need for effective performance measurement to assess CIDA's role in contributing to the expected results outlined below.

Expected Results

Human Rights, Democratic Development, and Good Governance

Impact

• Strengthened rule of law and implementation of international instruments, to which Canada and China are parties, supportive of human rights, democratic development, good governance, and environmental sustainability in accordance with Chinese government development strategies and the Millennium Development Goals.

Outcomes

• Enhanced role of legal, judicial, and legislative institutions.
• Increased implementation of international instruments related to human rights (including women's rights).
• Increased consideration of equity in the implementation of international economic agreements.
• Increased implementation of international environment agreements related to land resource management.

Outputs

• Increased capacity of legal, judicial, legislative, and government institutions to contribute to the rule of law.
• Increased institutional capacity to implement international economic, environmental, and human rights instruments in accordance with Chinese government development strategies and the Millennium Development Goals.

Environmental Sustainability

Impact

• Enhanced land resource management supportive of sustainable development in rural areas of western China.

Outcomes

• Reduced land degradation in rural western regions.
• Improved land rehabilitation in rural western regions.

Outputs

• Improved agricultural land resource management in rural western regions.
• Enhanced participatory watershed management processes in rural western regions.

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Conclusion

The next five years will see a shift in CIDA programming towards a more focused sectoral and geographic approach in China that will further strengthen our aid effectiveness. The objectives and strategic programming approaches outlined above will produce a program with fewer, larger projects and sharpened priorities. It will be closely linked to China's priorities of environmental sustainability, rule of law, and international integration. It will also reflect key areas of programming in which other donors are active, thereby opening up significant opportunities for donor collaboration.

In the coming years, CIDA and its partners will continue to monitor the development context in China to identify emerging issues, track program performance, and ensure the ongoing relevance of the CDPF priorities to both Canadian and Chinese priorities. Bilateral, multilateral, and partnership channels within CIDA will all play a role in supporting the China CDPF, and there is a potential role in implementing the China CDPF for a wide variety of Canadian, Chinese, and international partners that have expertise and experience relevant to the objectives, strategic programming approaches, and expected results.