Intellectual Resource Transfer Modalities

The current inter-agency discussion on Cash Transfer Modalities is heating up.

Is it really ok to have certificates of expenditure instead of voucher-based liquidations? Will it reduce transaction costs or not? Can we assess the financial management capacity of programme countries? Do we have the skills? If not, where can we get them? What if financial management capacities of programme partners are found to be weak? Or strong? What are the risks? How closely do we need to audit? Will there be spot-checks? What if the audits find something terrible?

Decisions, decisions. Necessary decision that have to be taken now in order to move on with the reform. Progress will be made.

But looking at our past performance, it wasn’t the money – nor the way the money was disbursed – that generated historic breakthroughs. It was the technical advice, the political savvy, the ideas, the innovative proposals. It was the knowledge that we shared.

And I am wondering when we will have a discussion about the best modalities for knowledge generation and knowledge transfer. And whether this discussion will be led with the same vim and vigour as the discussion about cash transfers.

(13 August 2004)

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