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Udenrigsudvalget 2014-15 (1. samling)
URU Alm.del Bilag 136
Offentligt

Department for Development Policy

GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT

OF POLICY PAPERS FOR DENMARK’S

RELATIONS WITH PRIORITY COUNTRIES

March 2015

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TABLES OF CONTENT

1. Why new priority country policy papers? .................................................................................... 3

2. Structure and content ..................................................................................................................... 3

3. When to prepare or update a policy paper .................................................................................. 7

4. What are the steps in the process? ................................................................................................ 7

5. Language ........................................................................................................................................ 10

6. Communicating priority country policies and results .............................................................. 10

7. How do we monitor and evaluate progress? ............................................................................. 11

Annex 1: Key data ................................................................................................................................ 12

Annex 2: Overview of Denmark’s development cooperation with XX country divided by

sectors/thematic areas.......................................................................................................................... 14

Annex 3: Overview of Progress towards the MDGs in XX country ............................................ 15

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1. Why new priority country policy papers?

The present guidelines replace the ‘Guidelines for the development of policy papers for

Denmark’s relations with partner countries’ from January 2013. The guidelines aim to guide the

development of Country Policy Papers for priority countries by Danish embassies and regional

departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The priority country policy papers will provide

single integrated presentation of Denmark’s policy

towards a given priority country which

encompasses Denmark’s entire engagement and strategic direction in a country, i.e. foreign and

security policy, development cooperation climate policy and commercial relations.

Denmark’s priority countries are diverse, and consequently, the composition of the policies with

the countries must be similarly diverse. In some countries, the development cooperation will

dominate the Danish policies. In other countries, the policy paper will reflect the increasing

importance of commercial relations and new forms of partnerships. And in more fragile states,

foreign and security policy will carry greater weight in the policy paper. Above all, the policy

papers must reflect the speed and drivers of change in the priority countries, and how the Danish

engagement strategically responds to this, by using

the entire palette of instruments

ranging

from foreign, security, and development policy to those of commercial relations. Hence, the

policy papers are an important tool for guiding implementation of economic diplomacy in the

priority countries.

The policy paper must build on the most recent, relevant strategies including “The right to a

better life”, The Government’s Strategy for Export Promotion and Economic Diplomacy etc. and

must transform/condense relevant parts of the strategies into

a short, operational country

policy paper with a clear strategic direction.

The policy papers are Denmark’s documents and they are not negotiated with the country in

question. However, the content is subject to dialogue and hearing of relevant stakeholders and

partners in the priority country. The main target group of the policy papers is the Danish public

(parliament, private sector, media and NGOs), and stakeholders in the priority country. The paper

sets the direction for dialogue at various levels, including for Danish inputs to dialogue and joint

programming with the EU, and Danish inputs to discussions concerning the priority country in

other multilateral fora.

2. Structure and content

The policy paper should be

brief and concise

and not exceed 15 pages in final print and layout.

The outline referred to only indicates the subject matter to be dealt with, not a mandatory title in

the policy paper.

Where relevant in relation to Denmark’s development cooperation, the policy paper must reflect

Denmark’s participation in joint strategies, and to the largest possible extent draw on the EU’s

Joint Framework Document. Likewise, in relation to foreign- and security policy as well as trade

policy

Front page:

Title: Denmark – country xx: Country Policy Paper 20xx-20xx (5 years)

Maps:

Map of the country on first page

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Introduction

Brief overview of Danish interests and the rationale behind the choice of the country in question

as a priority country for Denmark. Denmark’s previous cooperation and relations in all areas,

including results from Denmark’s cooperation with the country so far

Denmark’s partnership with country xx; overall vision and strategic direction

Overall vision for Denmark’s relations with the country and strategic direction during the lifespan

of the policy paper. This should also explain how coherence between Denmark’s different

instruments will be achieved and how such strategic coherence will lead to greater results to the

benefit of the priority country and Denmark.

Analysis of the situation in the country; opportunities, challenges and risks

This section must summarize the Danish analysis of the situation of the country. The Danish

analysis will draw on existing current international, joint and Danish research and analysis to the

largest possible extent. This includes joint analyses e.g. the EU human rights strategy, the United

Nations Universal Periodic Review, joint analyses of the economic development, World Bank and

IMF documents etc. The section must also provide a summary of an analysis of risks, challenges

and opportunities facing the country in the political, security, economic, commercial, human

rights and development fields and the implications for Denmark’s collaboration with the country.

The following topics should be covered:

1. Brief analysis of the country’s development challenges including poverty profile, trends

in equality/inequality and inclusiveness of development patterns, the national policy

framework/development/poverty reduction strategy and the effectiveness of the

implementation of national policies and strategies. Risks, challenges and opportunities

in development cooperation with the country.

Political economy analysis, including drivers of change in the priority country. Drivers

of change could be political, institutional (including shifts in donor cooperation),

economic (for example foreign direct investment or remittances) or discovery of or

exploitation of natural resources, impact of climate change etc.

3. Brief identification of the main macroeconomic opportunities and challenges facing

the country and government responses. Development in key macro-economic

indicators (GDP, GDP per capita, real economic growth rates, own revenues/tax

trends/structure, composition of economy/main economic drivers, trade etc.), level of

and development in foreign direct investments and in other international financial

transfers, the importance of donor funding to government expenses, the composition

of the donor group etc. - past, present and future as relevant.

4. Policies in key areas such as growth and employment, social development etc. ,

A human rights assessment is a presentation of the economic, social, cultural, civil and

political human rights in the country. The analysis draws on existing analytical,

documentation e.g. the UN Universal Periodic Review and reports by the UN Special

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Procedures, identifying gaps and key challenges in realising the human rights the

country itself has committed to internationally and regionally. The four core principles

of the Danish human rights-based approach - non-discrimination, participation,

transparency and accountability – are the elements that can improve the human rights

situation in the country and narrow the identified gaps between the country’s

international and regional human rights commitments and the actual human right

situation in the country. Furthermore, the human rights analysis identifies rights-

holders and duty-bearers and their capacities to claim and respect human rights. And

how Denmark can support partners in addressing rights issues

. The HRBA and the

four core principles are to be applied to all aid engagements. And thematically, HRBA

is relevant to each of the four strategic priority areas of the strategy for Denmark’s

Development Cooperation, i.e. Human Rights and Democracy; Green Growth; Social

Progress; and Stability and Protection.

An assessment of the gender equality situation in the country with respect to women’s

and men’s rights, access to resources and political influence

Considerations about peace and security, democracy and the electoral process, the rule

of law, governance, corruption, and the public administration at central and local level.

Considerations about natural resources management, state of the environment and

climate related challenges. The right to land, water, energy, innovative climate friendly

technologies and finance.

Capacity of the public sector for policy making, enforcement and service delivery,

public sector reforms. The role, strengths and capacity of the private sector and civil

society.

The dynamics of the partnership and overall achievements in country ownership,

alignment, accountability, reform in key areas and delivery of development results. The

development partner landscape and the possibilities for joint programming. As

relevant, the role of new development actors and how to engage meaningfully with

these.

The potential for cooperation with the priority country in international forums based

on shared values regarding international political, human rights and security issues.

The framework for trade relation between Denmark and the priority country – most

likely as framed by EUs trade relations with the given country and potential for

improvements and or better use of this framework.

Business opportunities and economic diplomacy, risks and challenges for the

partnership, including brief mapping of areas where synergy between development

assistance and trade is possible and where there is potential for increased commercial

engagement, trade and investments.

10.

11.

12.

13.

These analyses are not meant to be separate papers but elements to be covered to provide a

sufficiently solid foundation for the comprehensive Danish engagement with a priority country.

Please refer to “A Human Rights-based Approach to Denmark’s Development Cooperation: Guidance and Inspiration for

Policy Dialogue and Programming”.

Please refer to ”Strategic Framework for Gender Equality, Rights and Diveristy in Danish Development Cooperation”.

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The different elements should be covered with a different degree of depth depending on the

respective importance of these in the particular contexts.

Strategic objectives and key areas to be addressed in Danish-XX cooperation

In light of the above analysis – the policy paper then concludes and identifies the 3-4 main

Danish strategic objectives for the cooperation with country xx and presents these in this section.

The choice of the strategic objectives will reflect Denmark’s entire engagement in the country, i.e.

foreign and security policy, development cooperation, and commercial relations and will set the

strategic direction for the cooperation with the priority country for the entire Ministry.

For communication purposes this work to define ‘the story’ about the Danish engagement in

country xx is central. The objectives of the partnership and planned results should be outlined

clearly.

As part of the identification of the strategic objectives, the section will in short form describe

how Denmark will address and focus on specific aspects within the 4 priorities in Denmark’s

strategy for development cooperation (The right to a better life). This will also include

identification of the priority country’s growth potential, and how Denmark can play an important

role as catalyst for a sustainable and inclusive growth process – through development cooperation

and/or on commercial terms.

The chosen objectives guide the structure of the paper. For each of the main objectives, the

instruments ranging from foreign, security, and development policy to those of commercial

relations that will lead to the fulfillment of the objectives are identified as are the key indicators to

measure progress in achieving the strategic objectives. Hence, the main idea is to structure the

paper in accordance with the overarching strategic policy objectives that Denmark wants to

achieve in its cooperation with the country and the instruments to reach these objectives. The

strategy for achieving the 3-4 main Danish strategic objectives should be clearly spelled out and

presented in such details that monitoring of progress is possible.

For each of the 3-4 main strategic objectives, opportunities and challenges for

Denmark’s involvement in pursuing the objective with success are discussed. Within each

of the key areas of cooperation, the policy paper should identify which line of action will

be taken in order to reach the objective. The relevant national drivers of change and how

Denmark will respond to these should be presented

. The Country Policy Paper will stress

the choices made in relation to which instruments from the entire Danish palette of

instruments will be brought into play in order to reach the objective. This should include

clarification of which relevant multilateral instruments (both within the EU and other

multilateral organizations) will be used to pursue Danish policy objectives, and how

Denmark will promote its positions in these fora vis-a-vis the priority country.



Reference to how monitoring and evaluation of progress in achieving the objectives

should be dealt with. For the development cooperation this will be further detailed in the

country programme or other development programmes.



HRBA is crucial in this respect as human rights not just is a part of our own core values, they are also a powerful driver

of change, exactly because they are based on international and regional commitments that we share with our partners, just

like respect for human rights serve as a powerful means of redistribution of power and resources. Thus, the areas of

cooperation should be chosen because they are relevant in order to improve the human rights situation in the country.

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The Country Policy Paper will set the strategic direction for the entire Danish engagement with

the priority country. As an important subset of the entire engagement, the Country Policy Paper

will set the strategic direction for all parts of Danish development cooperation (programmes,

trust funds, climate envelope, research, civil society, cultural cooperation, Danida Business

instruments etc.) with the priority country. For the development cooperation, the corresponding

Country Programme Document will take the Country Policy Paper as its starting point, including

strategic objectives and including decisions made in regard to coherence and synergies between

development cooperation and other Danish instruments. The Country Programme Document

will further detail and operationalize the Danish development cooperation with the priority

country by determining how and with whom and with what level of funding the objectives will be

pursued. The Country Policy Paper and the Country Programme Document will be

complementary and corresponding documents for the development cooperation with the country.

3. When to prepare or update a policy paper

Country Policy Papers have to be prepared for all of Denmark’s priority countries, apart from

priority countries where Danish support is being phased out and Afghanistan where a different

process exists

For other countries, the development of policy papers is optional. In these cases,

the present guidelines should as far as possible be followed in order to ensure a uniform format

and presentation of Denmark’s relations with the countries we work in. For those priority

countries where a country strategy for development cooperation already exists, Country Policy

Papers will replace these, once the country strategy expires. If new priority countries are chosen,

the development of a policy paper is mandatory.

A policy paper should have a duration of five years. In exceptional circumstances the duration

may be shorter, namely where foreign and security policy and commercial

priorities

are assessed

to be changing at a much more rapid pace making five year planning unrealistic. In contexts likely

to change over a five year period, e.g. fragile contexts, the possibility of updating policy papers

where changes are not fundamental should also be remembered.

Policy papers can be updated when important developments in relations so require. If this

changes the fundamental basis, aims and goals of the policy, the process for developing and

approving new policy papers should be followed. When changes are not major it will be decided

on a case-by-case basis by the Under-Secretary for Africa, Asia, Americas and The Middle East

whether it will be sufficient to present the changes for approval to the Ministry’s management and

as necessary one or more ministers. Any major adjustments to the policy adopted should also be

discussed, as relevant, during High-Level Consultations between Denmark and the priority

country concerned.

4. What are the steps in the process?

While the drafting of the policy paper will normally be initiated by the Danish Embassy in the

priority country, regional departments maintain overall responsibility for the process of finalizing

the policy papers. The different steps in the process after the analyses and first draft are outlined

below:

Preparatory consultations with the priority country

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Before the drafting of a policy paper general consultations with the country, if relevant during

High-Level Consultations, as well as with other donors will be held to identify the strategic focus

areas.

In priority countries where joint country or assistance strategies for development cooperation are

underway, the Embassy may need a mandate to take part in the negotiations. In such cases, the

Embassy will prepare a brief draft mandate

. The EU Joint Framework Document should also

serve as an important input where such a document is in place. It will be decided on a case by case

basis from which level in the Ministry approval will have to be sought and whether political

approval (from ministers and as relevant the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee) is needed.

This will depend on the extent to which the joint strategy can be expected to result in major

changes to the existing focus of Denmark’s development collaboration with the priority country

in question.

Programme Committee including public consultation and MFA Management

In close cooperation with the regional department, the Danish mission drafts the paper. After the

regional department has quality assured the draft, it will be used for public consultation,

presentation to the Programme Committee and presentation to the MFA Management (KLF).

For the Programme Committee and the public hearing, the draft it is sent to KVA by the Danish

Mission prior to the presentation to the Programme Committee. KVA is secretariat to the

Committee and uploads the draft to UM.DK for public consultation and forwards consultation

responses to the regional department. Please, see Guidelines for Presentations to the Programme

Committee.

Based on the same material used for the public hearing, the Danish Mission and regional

department present the draft for the Programme Committee. At the meeting, the received

responses from the public consultation will be taken into consideration and inform the further

formulation of the policy paper. The Programme Committee will invite all key stakeholders in the

MFA to the discussion to ensure broad based input to the further work.

Also based on the same material, the regional department is responsible for putting a presentation

of the draft policy paper at the agenda of the Ministry’s corporate management (KLF). The

Embassy will present the draft paper at the meeting and the Embassy and department will both

participate in the discussion,

Presentation of draft to the Ministers

Once the Danish Mission and the regional department have incorporated the Programme

Committee’s and Management’s recommendations into the draft, the regional department submits

the draft to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade and Development

Cooperation for approval. The presentation to the ministers should include a summary of the

responses from the public consultation and a short overview of how these have or have not been

incorporated into the draft policy paper.

Presentation to the Policy Council for Development Cooperation and to the

Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee

Including proposed thematic and sector focus, use of aid modalities, division of labour with other development partners, etc.,

as well as how these proposed priorities relate to priority country priorities. The mandate should include a process action plan

for concluding the joint strategy.

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On the basis of the presentation to the Ministers, the Danish Mission and the regional

department edit the draft. The short summary of the responses from the public hearing and of

how these are reflected in the draft policy paper is attached. The Danish Mission is responsible

for putting the country policy paper on the agenda for the Policy Council and the department will

put the item at the agenda of the meeting in the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commitee. When

the draft is presented to the Policy Council for Development Cooperation, .the Danish Mission

will participate in the meeting via video link. In advance of the meeting, the draft is made public

through UM.DK by UGS that is secretariat to the Council.

For the meeting the Foreign Affairs Committee, the regional department in responsible for

forwarding the material to the for the Secretariat for the Corporate Management (dirsek) which

is in charge of forwarding documents to the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee. The

Minister for Development Cooperation will present the paper for the committee and have a

discussion on the basis of this. The regional department will normally participate in the meeting.

It is important that the paper is still in a draft stage where suggestions from the council and the

committee can be included in the final paper.

Final policy paper for approval by ministers and distribution of final paper

The Mission and the regional department finalizes the paper based on the consultations and

submits the policy paper for final approval by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister

for Trade and Development Cooperation with a plan for communicating the paper to the public.

The presentation also includes letters to the policy council and the foreign affairs committee that

will be attached when the final paper is forwarded to these bodies. The presentation to the

Ministers should include explanation of how the paper has been changed since it was last

presented to the Ministers.

Timeline for preparation of country policy papers

Time line

Month 0

Activity

Preparatory

deliberations with the

priority country and

drafting the paper

Public consultation

for the paper for

country policy paper –

min. three weeks prior

presentation to the

Programme Committee.

Presentation of draft

policy paper to the

Programme Committee

Presentation of

synopsis to the

management of MFA

(koncernledelsesforum)

Presentation of draft

to Ministers

Documentation

Responsible

Embassy

Month 1

Draft paper incl.

Process action plan,

cover page with

strategic questions.

Presentation at

meeting of resume of

responses during

public consultation

and proposal of

how/whether these

responses will be

incorporated.

The Ministers approve

the draft prior to it

being forwarded to

UPR and URU including

resume of responses

during public hearing

Embassy forwards the

draft for the

Programme Committee

to KVA. Regional

department

responsible to place

the item at KLF’s

agenda and forward

draft paper.

Month 2

Regional department

in cooperation with

the Embassy

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Time line

Activity

Documentation

and proposals of

how/whether these

have been

incorporated.

Edited draft

Resume of responses

during public

consultation and

proposal of

how/whether these

have been

incorporated.

Same draft as the one

used for UPR.

Responsible

Month 3

Presentation to the

Policy Council for

Development

Cooperation

Embassy responsible

to put the item at

UPR’s agenda. Embassy

and regional

department will both

participate in the

meeting (Embassy via

video link)

Regional department

in cooperation with

Embassy. Regional

department will

participate in the

meeting

Embassy in

cooperation with

regional department

Embassy

Regional department

in cooperation with

the Embassy

Regional department

Presentation of the

synopsis to the

Parliamentary Foreign

Affairs Committee

Month 4

Finalising the policy

paper

Presentation to

stakeholders in

priority country

Final policy paper for

approval by ministers.

Final paper forwarded

to UPR and URU

Lay out and publishing

to be coordinated with

PDK

Final draft

Month 5

Final policy paper

5. Language

A Danish version of the paper is necessary when the paper is presented to the Parliamentary

Foreign Affairs Committee. It is the decision of the Embassy if the paper is drafted in Danish

from the start and the later translated (whole document or a summary) into the local working

language or if the paper is drafted in English and then translated before it will be forwarded to the

Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee. The final policy paper should be available in Danish

and English and in the working language of the priority country concerned.

6. Communicating priority country policies and results

The regional department and the Danish mission will together draw up a plan for communicating

with the public on the main story and results from Denmark’s partnership with xx country. The

communication plan could define target groups and communication channels and pin down

messages and stories about the various activities and (expected) results of the efforts contained in

the Country Policy Paper.

The final Country Policy Paper will be published as an electronic paper in layout based on

Danida’s design guide and can be changed when major developments make this necessary.

The regional department sends the electronic version of the final policy paper to UGS and KVA

(for publication on the AMG website) as well as all other relevant departments in the Ministry and

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ensures its publication on the Ministry’s homepage. The regional department will coordinate lay

out and publishing of document with PKP. The Embassy will publish the policy at its homepage

and otherwise distribute it locally in the priority country.

7. How do we monitor and evaluate progress?

The progress in achieving the strategic objectives outlined in the Country Policy Paper will be

discussed on a yearly basis between the Head of Embassy in the priority country and the

Management in Copenhagen, including representatives from the relevant areas of the Ministry. In

addition to the annual strategic dialogue between Embassy and Management in Copenhagen, the

Country Policy Paper priorities will also form the basis for the ongoing dialogue during High-

Level Consultations with the priority country or other relevant forum.

Evaluations of development cooperation in priority countries will take place according to the

rolling evaluation plans of the Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Embassies are expected to take an active role in identification of possible evaluation topics for

inclusion in the overall evaluation plan and thereby contribute to learning and documentation of

results.

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Annex 1: Key data

Key economic data

Area

Population

GDP

Annual economic growth

(GDP)

(year)

GNI per capita (year)

Growth in GNI per capita (year)

Ease of doing business (year)

Economic sectors (share of GDP):

Agriculture

Industry

Manufacturing

Services

Other sectors

Government expense (%of GDP)

Tax revenue (excluding grants, % of GDP)

Development assistance per capita (year)

Net official development assistance (%of GNI)

Debt service

(ratio to exports - TDS/XGS)

(year)

Key social data

Population growth

(annual average)

(year)

Life expectancy (year)

Infant mortality

(number of deaths per 1000 births during the first year)

(year)**

Access to clean drinking water

(percentage without access)

(year)**

Access to health facilities

(percentage without access)

(year)

Number of doctors

(per 100,000 inhabitants)

(year)

People btw. 15-49 years living with hiv (year)**

Adult literacy rate (year)

Primary education

(percentage of children of school age)

(year)**

Girls in primary education

(percentage of girls of school age)

(year)**

Social sectors

(percentage of public expenditure)

(year)

Military expenditure

(percentage of GDP)

Distribution of income

(percentage of national income)**

Richest 10% of population

Poorest 10 % of population

Key environmental data

Ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity to

surface area

Carbon dioxide emissions per capacity and consumption of

ozone-depleting CFCs (ODP tons)

Key Human Rights data

Ratification with main international human rights instruments

(12 in total)

Compliance with main international human rights instruments

Unit

Million

USD

Rank

USD

Unit

Years

…

Unit

ODP tons

Unit

No.

Source *

(WDR)

(UGS)

(DB)

(WDR)

WDR

(WDR)

(WDF)

Source

(UGS)

(WDR)

(HDR)

(UNAIDS)

(HDR)

(WDR)

(HDR)

(WDR)

Source

CBD/IUCN*

UNFCCC*

Source

OHCHR

Where possible, the data should be provided as disaggregated on proportion of men/women

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(12 in total)

- Reports compiled in connection to the UN Universal Periodic

Review

- The official UN indicators for the coming Post 2015 Agenda

* (WDR):

(DB):

(HDR):

(WDF):

(UNAIDS):

(CBD/IUCN)

UNFCCC

(UGS):

OHCHR

World Development Report, World Bank, most recent version.

Doing Business Report, World Bank, most recent version

Human Development Report, UNDP, most recent version.

World Development Finance, World Bank, most recent version.

Report on the global AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS, most recent version

Reporting to be found at

http://www.cbd.int/protected/overview/

http://www.protectedplanet.net/

The CO2 emissions are reported to UNFCCC, data available at home page

http://unfccc.int/ghg_data/ghg_data_unfccc/items/4146.php

Landeindkomstgrænsenotits (Memorandum

on the annual revision of per capita income limits for countries

receiving Danish development assistance), available on MFA Intranet at

http://intranet/Redskaber/udvpol_redskaber/Beslutningsprocessen/O1/R6/Sider/default.aspx

Where relevant, this indicator can be substituted with a related MDG indicator/target based on the

national MDG statistics.

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Annex 2: Overview of Denmark’s development cooperation with XX country divided by

sectors/thematic areas.

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Annex 3: Overview of Progress towards the MDGs in XX country

These indicators will be reported on until 2015. The post-2015 dialogue and result hereof will feed into development

of a possible new format for global monitoring.