The DCF Global Accountability Survey: Assessing status and progress of mutual accountability and transparency at national level
Objective of the survey
The national mutual accountability survey conducted by UNDESA, with support from UNDP, for the DCF is generating evidence to support government efforts to strengthen development partnerships at country level.
The analysis of survey results contributes to national policy-making and knowledge sharing among stakeholders. The results can be used by governments to demonstrate progress to their partners and make it comparable with other developing countries. The survey thus can incentivize behavioural change and encourage actors to design and implement more robust policies, results frameworks and dialogue structures.
The in-depth analysis produced by UNDESA on mutual accountability, including from the national mutual accountability survey, is widely available to all stakeholders on the DCF Website.
News from the ongoing 4th national mutual accountability survey
Multi-stakeholder workshop in Sao Tome 
Using MA enablers: a guidance note
A guidance note for national policy-makers and practitioners builds on the outcomes of the 2013 survey to support design, implementation and use of MA enablers at country level.
Survey findings
The three surveys conducted thus far (2009, 2011, and 2013/14) invited national stakeholders to identify ways to support mutual accountability, through implementing tools such as aid and partnership policies, performance assessment frameworks and dialogue platforms. Survey participants identified capacity challenges in mutual accountability.
The 2013/14 survey examined implications of a changing composition of development actors and expectations for the implications of the post-2015 development agenda for development cooperation. It was conducted online, with questionnaires in English, Spanish and French. Two webinars were held explaining the process and why it is so important to engage in mutual accountability. Here are the links to recordings of webinars in Asia-Pacific and Africa/Europe/Americas and power point.
Fourth survey
The fourth survey [EN; ES; FR] is in progress. The questions have been further adapted to new challenges related to mutual accountability among all actors, while keeping its integrity and baseline.
The latest survey also builds on the findings of a scoping study on “Monitoring and review of development cooperation to support implementation of a post-2015 development agenda” and from a workshop at the DCF Republic of Korea High-level Symposium on mutual accountability.
The findings of the fourth survey will inform preparations for the 2016 Development Cooperation Forum.
Linkages to other monitoring practices
The 2011 Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey started to use a number of questions from the DCF national mutual accountability survey to monitor mutual accountability as one of its twelve indicators. This allowed countries to use the same responses in both surveys and provided the basis for a more thorough analysis that fully avoids duplication between the two exercises. The monitoring of the Busan indicators on development effectiveness, agreed at the Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, and conducted by the OECD and UNDP as the Joint Secretariat of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, uses the same targets for mutual accountability.