Comments

It is a success compared to other countries by any measure possible. Letting people repatriate freely when the healthcare system is not ready is simply being irresponsible.

The irony is that countries used to be singled out as autocratic (Vietnam, Singapore for example) are dealing with Covid without waging war on the individual liberties of their citizens, while so-called democratic Western states (France, Italy, Spain, UK) introduced all kinds of fines, penalties and restrictions on their people - no different to what China is criticized for doing, really. And still those countries with a heavy-handed approach ended up with much worse death tolls and an uncontrolled spread of the virus.

I am Wasun Kiyo from Mendi SHP, the government gave seen the needs of the silent majority and this Apple picking initiative was the best in deed, but most offcial involved in this recruitment exercise demand huge bribery for those poor applicants which make their arrangements so complicated and at the same time they could not afford the money demanded so most of our citizens suffer through this corrupt practices, so I personally suggest that the New Zealand Embassy should directly recruit Prior to application lodged, thank you

This is such an important concern that hits at the heart of long running problems of assistance, at least in the Pacific Islands. The article could be retitled as “Whose Results Matter?” - the donors’ technical and financial appearances of development or the recipient peoples’ needs? The issue not only requires the attention of DFAT but all “development partners”. However, it will need to be raised and republished every 12 months to accommodate donor and recipient staff turnover. When the design for technical and financial inputs prevail over people development results and monitoring and evaluation is weak and, or poorly directed then few development lessons are learned. And if lessons are not learned the industry repeats its old mistaken approaches as decades of development experience will attest to in the Pacific. The answer should not just be donor oriented and driven but recipient government understood and demanded.

Thanks Nematullah for a very insightful article. I fear the worst is yet to come for countries like PNG in terms of the pandemic and the economy and agree that Australian foreign aid is critical in these circumstances.

My wife and I spent the month of February in Viet Nam and were quite impressed with the way that the government and citizens of the country worked together to heighten public awareness of the virus AND how they dealt with this extremely dangerous public health crisis.

This is a clear indication of failure in service delivery mechanisms start from the National level down to Village level. Everyone that are responsible for doing the right thing have failed miserably and have not done their part with pride and passion to serve their nation. This is again a social slavery to your own people. Furthermore, PNG has a difficult topography or geographical setting that needs proper study in order to provide vital government services in partnership churches and NGOs.

As a footnote: I should note this post was drafted pre-coronavirus crisis. It's dated in that sense -- as others have pointed out, the crisis will impose a form of DDD on aid work. That said, I suspect the DDD we get from this shock will differ from the DDD we needed. I also think the fundamental challenges the post raises will still be with us for some time to come.

Hi Scott, Thanks for your comment. It's an interesting point. I haven't paid any notice to the iXc for about a year (not an intentional slight, but life has been busy). However, when I last looked, there were at least two issues preventing it from being an exercise in DDD. The first was internal. Its ethos appeared to be primarily about putting bright new ideas into practice. No problem with that. But the ideas trialed often seemed to be bright new ideas from HQ, or selected by random processes, rather than bright new ideas born of a real understanding of country context. This still doesn't render the ideas inevitable failures, but it's not really DDD. Also, there seemed to be no real planning - initially at least - for strong evaluations. Once again, this is at odds with DDD. (Perhaps it's changed now?) The second was external. Statements regarding a higher appetite for risk seemed primarily to be aspirational political claims, rather than a real change in actual tolerance for risk. There's much more that could be said about this, and the discrepancy is likely not the aid program's fault, but it does serve as a good example of the domestic political economy constraints that may often make DDD hard. Thanks again for an interesting comment. Terence

You make a very good point. Implementing DDD TWP PDIA will require: fundamental reforms to DFAT's processes for investment design; procurement; M&E; the capacity of DFAT staff; a higher risk tolerance; plus modified relationships between DFAT, managing contractors, and partner government stakeholders. In the short term DFAT could consider piloting these methods in a controlled deliberate manner. Isn't this what the InnovationXchange was meant to be doing?

Success? What about these 50,000 forced to quarantined themselves and these vietnamese illegal immigrants from other countries that Vietnamese government refused to take ? So inflicting pains to other countries is success?

I've lived in Vietnam as an expatriot for thirty years and this report could not have shown the country's capacity in dealing with the pandamic in any different light. Everything initally orchestrated quickly, harmoniously and with as little disruption to social life as possible. Citizens doing their level best to play their part in a most creditable display of order and willingness to comply with directions. Apart from the mask rule for outings, I was still able to get about my business daily with no hastles from police or authoritarian types that in any other society might test the foreigner's resolve. Well done Vietnam, very well done indeed and now other nations might take heed on how to run a country in any similar potentially perilous situation.