International Compacts are mutual agreements between the international community and national governments that set out a framework of shared responsibilities, commitments and benchmarks against which both donors and government can be held to account. The term ‘compact’ has recently gained in prominence through the high-profile compacts developed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have also been employed in Congo and Timor Leste. Some argue the strategic peace building agreements in Burundi and Sierra Leone also constitute compacts, even though they do not use the same explicit terminology. Common to all these compacts/frameworks is an emphasis on consultation and participation, nationally-led monitoring, building on national planning frameworks, and using concrete, measurable, and time-bound indicators for the consolidation of peace and the pursuit of political, economic, and social development.
Compacts are an emerging issue, and very little research is available on the impact of these mechanisms on aid effectiveness or development outcomes. As a result, there does not as yet appear to be any agreed ‘good’ or ‘bad’ practice on compacts. Nevertheless, the issues, challenges and lessons identified in the limited available literature are highlighted in this report.
