Mandate:   -   Terms of reference for the DAC Working Parties approved on 13th-14th March 1975 [DAC(75)18]

   -   Change of name, 5 February 1998 [DCD/DAC/M(98)3]

   -   New mandate approved by the DAC on 17 September 2003 [DCD/DAC/M(2003)6/FINAL]

   -   Renewal of the mandate approved by the DAC on 10 May 2007 [DCD/DAC/M(2007)6/FINAL, Item IX, para. 22 and DCD/DAC(2007)25/REV2]

   -   Revision of the DAC subsidiary body mandates approved by the DAC on 23 October 2008 [DCD/DAC/M(2008)9, para. 7]

   -   Decision to extend the mandate to 31 December 2011 [DCD/DIR(2010)18]

   -   Decision to extend the mandate to 31 December 2014, approved by the DAC on 3 November 2011 [DCD/DAC(2011)38/REV1, para. 17 e. and DCD/DAC/M(2011)9/FINAL, item V]

   -   Change of name, 16 March 2012 [STAT(2012)19] and 25 April 2012 [STAT(2012)27]

   -   Revision of the mandate, approved by the DAC on 12 November 2012 [DCD/DAC(2012)42 and DCD/DAC/M(2012)10/FINAL, item 4, para. 5]

   -   Decision to extend the mandate to 31 December 2015, in order to synchronise with the Committee mandate's date, approved by written procedure [DCD/DAC(2014)60 and DCD/DAC/M(2014)12/FINAL, item 3. para. 4]

   -   Decision to extend the mandate to 31 December 2016, in order to synchronise with the Committee mandate's date, approved by the DAC on 15 April 2015 and confirmed to the DAC on 18 June 2015 [DCD/DAC(2015)9, para. 3.ii), DCD/DAC/M(2015)3/FINAL, item 7. para. 24, 25, 26 and DCD/DAC/M(2015)5, item 3. para. 4]

1.   The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is the principal forum through which bilateral donors deal with issues related to the volume and effectiveness of development co‑operation. It aims to impact donor policies and practices in ways that promote aid effectiveness, capacity development, and inclusive globalisation, in order to support poverty reduction and sustainable development in developing countries.

2.   Subsidiary Bodies of the DAC will function as communities of practice and sources of expertise that promote collective learning and produce deliverables in accordance with the DAC mandate. The deliverables of Subsidiary Bodies are to be based on the Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) and on additional guidance from the DAC, as communicated by its Chair. They could include leading edge thinking, policy recommendations, good practices, and tools, which are to be relevant, practical, timely, and user-friendly. These deliverables should be accompanied by communication and dissemination strategies designed to ensure impact on behaviour change. Subsidiary Bodies will also promote synergies among other Subsidiary Bodies in contributing to the DAC’s PWB.

3.   The operations of Subsidiary Bodies, as part of the Organisation for Economic Co‑peration and Development (OECD), will be in line with the rules, regulations, and guidance of the Organisation. Together with the Secretariat, they will carry out horizontal work with other parts of the OECD where appropriate to particularly contribute to policy coherence for development. Furthermore, Subsidiary Bodies will develop substantive interactions with international organisations and non-DAC donors –including in support of the Organisation’s efforts toward enlargement and enhanced engagement– as well as reach out on a case by case basis to partner countries and other relevant actors.

Extract from document [DCD/DAC(2008)39/REV2]

“VII. Working Party on Statistics (WP-STAT)

A.   Individualised Mandate

1.   The Working Party on Statistics keeps under review and proposes improvements in the statistical system and in the reporting of resource flows to developing countries and multilateral agencies by DAC and non-DAC donors, as well as flows from multilateral agencies and private sources of aid. It makes recommendations to the DAC about: ODA eligibility; guidelines and definitions for reporting; data comparability; and the use of DAC statistics. It proposes, for decision by the DAC, significant amendments to the statistical reporting directives, making minor adjustments on its own authority; deals with related subjects referred to it by the DAC; continuously improves the quality, comparability, accessibility and user-friendliness of aid data; and reports to the DAC as appropriate.

B.   Information Notes

a)   Contribution to the Coherent Framework on the OECD’s Work on Development, Relations with the Development Cluster, and Horizontal Work within OECD Beyond the Cluster

2.   WP-STAT members compile and submit aid statistics that are processed by the Secretariat and contribute to the Development Co-operation Report and other core activities of DAC. The WP-STAT is making major efforts to harmonise and streamline its reporting systems, converging reporting in its aggregate (DAC) and activity-level (CRS) databases as much as possible. In June 2008 it agreed on a new classification of aid to start to apply to both databases from 2011.

3.   The WP-STAT collaborates with the other subsidiary bodies of the DAC to introduce new coding and to elaborate guidance documents on applying the Reporting Directives. For example it works with GOVNET on the governance codes and with ENVIRONET and GENDERNET on application of the policy objective markers. It is envisaged that the WP-STAT will support efforts to capture future aid flows, and assist with monitoring the implementation of the Paris Declaration.

4.   The WP-STAT and the Secretariat pursue dialogue with statistical users outside the OECD community in order to broaden the coverage of the systems and improve their consistency and user-friendliness.

b)   Reference Guidelines Being Actively Used or Promoted

DAC and CRS Reporting Directives;

CRS++ Reporting Guidelines;

Handbook on Reporting Debt Reorganisation on the DAC Questionnaire;

Casebook on ODA Reporting of Conflict Peace and Development Expenditures.

c)    Output Results and Means of Delivery, Such as Task Teams and Frequency of Meetings

5.   The WP-STAT is working on the transfer from CRS to CRS++ format which will introduce substantial improvements in the statistical systems. Members recently agreed rules for introducing new purpose codes, which will enable their systematic improvement, rather than ad hoc modification.

6.   Task Teams are formed when specific requirements arise, while major preparatory work is conducted by the Secretariat.

d)   Strategies on Communication and Dissemination

7.   The Secretariat is finalising work on a much more user-friendly portal that will draw on OECD.STAT data, increasing its use of the CRS to produce sector and thematic studies, and publishing fact sheets and information notes.

e)   Calendar of Meetings, Workshops and Outreach Activities

8.   The WP-STAT usually has a formal meeting in June, and often holds an informal meeting in February or March.”