AIPEG Capacity Development Principals

1. Capacity development is the lens though which all AIPEG activities are selected, planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated. It is not a separate and additional layer of work.
    
2. Explicit capacity development objectives shall be developed for each AIPEG activity. Capacity development will be explicitly understood and articulated - the "what"; the "why"; the "how" and the "how well".
    
3. AIPEG support shall be developed on existing capacities. Effective capacity development recognises and builds on existing knowledge, skills and experiences

The concept of capacity development (CD) has taken on greater prominence in the development sector over the last few decades. Capacity development is now accepted as a fundamental driver of all development support.

For AIPEG, capacity development is “the process of developing capabilities in individuals, groups, organisations, or sectors which lead to sustained performance improvement, by recognizing, valuing and building on the experiences and strengths of individuals and organizations.”

For us it is therefore much more than just training. We deliver a broad range of capacity development support, including mentoring, systems and policy development, and research projects, to support the achievement of our counterpart agencies strategic goals. In fact AIPEG’s approach is to require all activities to be well integrated into an agencies reform program and be complementary to agency and other donor support. As per the definition above, the key is to build on existing strengths and capacities.

To achieve sustainable CD takes time and effort if good outcomes are to be realized in an AID context. This is often challenging. AIPEG has developed a set of CD Principles to guide our aid focus and ensure end outcomes are always in mind. These guidelines are a key reference when designing new activities with Partner Agencies.