About ODE
The Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) was established in 2006 to improve the effectiveness of the Australian Government's overseas aid program. The ODE is a unit within AusAID separate from program management.
The role of the ODE is to monitor the quality and evaluate the impact of the Australian government aid program. The Office seeks to report on the effectiveness of Australian aid and identify areas where effectiveness could be improved.
Roles and responsibilities
The ODE has responsibility for reporting on the effectiveness of the aid program as well as building the capacity of Australian agencies delivering aid to manage on the basis of results.
Specifically, the ODE has a number of responsibilities:
- Prepare the Annual Review of Development Effectiveness. The review draws on the breadth of ODE's work and performance information generated by new reporting processes, and other independent assessments
- Help to oversee the roll out of the new Performance Assessment and Evaluation Policy of Australia's aid program. The policy describes expectations for measuring the performance of Australian aid and includes principles that apply to all types of reporting
- Undertake a number of high level thematic and country strategy evaluations and improve evaluatio practice across the aid program
- Support the development of country strategies
- Assist in the Government's efforts to engage the Australian community on development and the aid program
- Engage on the international effectiveness agenda, particularly the Accra High Level Forum in September 2008 and building links with international partners
See AusAID Performance Assessment and Evaluation Policy [external website]
Reporting
The ODE reports directly to the Director General of AusAID and is guided by the Development Effectiveness Steering Committee (DESC). The DESC is chaired by the Director General and comprises deputy secretaries from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Deregulation and the Treasury as well as the AusAID Principal Economist. The DESC advises on the ODE's work priorities, comments on the Annual Review of Development Effectiveness and advises the Minister on the quality of major new country strategies, and on new budget proposals.
See Development Effectiveness Steering Committee: Terms of Reference [PDF 36KB]
Evaluations
ODE undertakes flagship thematic evaluations (see evaluations in progress). ODE also conducts evaluations or reviews of major country programs whenever Australia develops a new country strategy (see Indonesia and Philippines Country Strategy Reviews). ODE also overseas independent completion reporting for activities. These are independent assessments conducted by program area at the end of each aid activity.
The evaluation program is based on the following criteria:
- Relevance to policy or budget priorities
- Cross program relevance
- New evaluation methodologies.