Six tips for delivering effective country programmes

The document outlines six key tips for managing country-led development assistance: prioritizing in-country leadership by nationals, utilizing co-developed and flexible Theories of Change, aligning budgets with long-term goals, preferring local suppliers, and integrating monitoring and learning into ongoing strategic planning.

• Country programmes are most effective when led and managed in-country, ideally by nationals. A successful country engagement leader should possess strategic thinking skills, the ability to network with senior decision-makers, and a deep understanding of local policies and processes.
• A Theory of Change and Impact Pathway serves as a tool to communicate a programme's goals and assumptions to stakeholders. To maximize impact and ensure buy-in, these frameworks should be co-developed with key stakeholders and remain flexible to adapt to changing demands.
• Budgeting should be aligned with the long-term goals and time frames of the country programme. Relying on annual budget cycles often results in shorter projects with limited impact and increases the risk of prioritizing short-term political gains over strategic outcomes.
• Local suppliers should be prioritized for project delivery. In cases where local technical expertise is lacking, a combination of local and international suppliers is recommended to blend cultural knowledge with international expertise.
• Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) should be integrated into continuous strategic planning and project delivery rather than being treated as a yearly data-collection exercise. This process requires a dedicated knowledge management resource to facilitate the exchange of learning between local and global levels.

APA

Fitzherbert-Brockholes, S., & Norton, C. (2017). Six tips for delivering effective country programmes. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Country_Programme_final_web-res.pdf

Chicago

Fitzherbert-Brockholes, Susannah, and Connie Norton. Six tips for delivering effective country programmes. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Country_Programme_final_web-res.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fitzherbert-Brockholes |first1=Susannah |last2=Norton |first2=Connie |title=Six tips for delivering effective country programmes |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=October 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Country_Programme_final_web-res.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fitzherbertbrockholes2017six, author = {Fitzherbert-Brockholes, Susannah and Norton, Connie}, title = {{Six tips for delivering effective country programmes}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-Country_Programme_final_web-res.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }