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DFID's Reorganisation of Policy Division

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Policy Division

The Note below explains the reorganisation of Policy Division. If you have any further questions on the reorganisation of Policy Division, please contact the Public Enquiry Point in the first instance at: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk. Please put 'PD Enquiry' in the subject field.Note to External Partners on the Reorganisation of Policy Division

Introduction

1.      With effect from 31 March 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has reorganised it's central policy departments into a new Policy Division based at its London headquarters. DFID works with a wide variety of partners in pursuit of its objective of eliminating poverty. These partners include other UK government departments; governments in partner countries; international institutions; other bilateral development organisations; NGOs and many other organisations in civil society, both in the UK and overseas. DFID places high value on these relationships and regards them as crucial to the achievement of its mission.
   

2.      The purpose of this note is therefore to explain to DFID's national and international development partners - and to other parts of the UK Government - the background to this reorganisation and some of its key implications.

Background

3.      The role of the new Policy Division is to develop evidence-based, innovative approaches to development that can make a real difference to poor people. The objectives of the reorganisation are to enable Policy Division to:

·        be more responsive to global and country needs, opportunities and events in the development field

·         focus on those priority areas that are likely to have the most impact on poor people 

·         be better placed to develop effective partnerships with other UK government departments, developing country governments and other international development organisations.

Leadership of Policy Division

4.      Sharon White is the Director of Policy Division. Sharon reports to the Director General, Policy and International, (Masood Ahmed from 1 July). Sharon is supported by three Deputy Directors: Marshall Elliott; Susanna Moorehead and Michael Schultz.

Policy Division Organisation

5.      DFID's central policy departments were previously organised on the basis of subject or sectoral themes, (such as economics, social development and health). The policy development work of Policy Division will in future be carried out through a set of multi-disciplinary teams. A list of the teams and their leaders as at 11 May is attached. The core membership of these teams is drawn from the staff of Policy Division. In addition, these teams will draw on inputs from other parts of DFID (including country offices) and from outside agencies, including other development organisations and Whitehall departments.
    

6.      All teams will focus on producing outputs that can be put to practical use in the field of poverty reduction. Over time, teams will complete their tasks and their staff will be reallocated to other priorities. Similarly, new teams will be formed as required to meet emerging needs or to tackle new issues.
   

7.      The work of most teams is self explanatory but it may be helpful to say a little more about some of the teams:

·         teams under the heading of scoping work will explore potential new areas of policy development to see what opportunities may exist for DFID to add value by developing policy in new fields. At the end of the scoping phase, a decision will be taken whether to set up a fully-resourced policy team

·         the programme management unit will manage and review programme spending in those areas of policy where Policy Division has existing commitments.

·         the rapid response unit will provide expert advice on areas not covered by teams, as well as responding to short-term demands for policy work and advice

8.      There is also a central research team which will administer the current research portfolio and will design and implement a new strategy that will integrate the different research programmes into a "one stop shop" for research in support of DFID's wider objectives.
   

9.      DFID's Chief Advisers and Heads of Profession will be located in the Office of Chief Advisers within Policy Division. The Office of Chief Advisers will have a small support staff and will also draw on the resources of the rest of Policy Division as required. Chief Advisers and Heads of Profession will play an advisory role in the setting up of new teams with the right membership and terms of reference and in providing expert input and quality control to the work of policy teams. Most Heads of Profession will lead or be members of particular policy teams.
    

10. Chief Advisers and Heads of Profession will continue to play a key role in the maintaining and developing the professional capacity of staff in their particular professional domains. Freed up from their previous roles as departmental managers, Chief Advisers will devote more time to providing expert advice across DFID; to representing DFID in various international fora; and to ensuring that DFID is kept fully up to date with latest thinking in the development field.
    

11. An organogram of the new Policy Division is available on here.

Implications for External Partners

12. One of the key themes of the reorganisation of Policy Division is a greater focus on priority areas for policy development and on key areas where DFID wishes to influence the international development agenda. In deciding where to allocate its policy development resources, DFID will in future consider a number of questions, including:

·         is there clear evidence of demand for new policy in this area? 

·         is this topic important - will it help achieve one or more of the Millennium Development Goals?

·         is the best next step on this topic to form a team to develop new policy, or is some other intervention more appropriate?

·         does DFID have distinctive competencies and/or some other comparative advantage that makes it right for DFID, rather than another development organisation, to develop new policy here? 

·         is policy best developed by DFID, or could policy be developed more effectively by outsourcing or by a secondment to another development organisation?

13. This sharper focus on priorities for policy development may mean that many topics that that are of importance to some of DFID's development partners will not be covered at any one time by a policy team. And in some areas, there may be a managed wind-down of Policy Division's involvement. But it should not be inferred from this that DFID has lost interest in such topics, or that we no longer regard them as important. In some important areas of policy, for example, the priority may now be to implement existing policy more widely and effectively through our country offices rather than to develop new policy.
    

14. The reorganisation of Policy Division should also open up new opportunities for other development organisations to make an input to policy development in DFID. If your organisation is potentially interested in participating in some way in one or more of the policy teams, please contact the relevant team leader in the first instance.

Contacting Policy Division

15. A list of teams and their leaders is set out below.
   

16. If you have any other more general questions on the reorganisation of Policy Division, please contact the Public Enquiry Point in the first instance at : enquiry@dfid.gov.uk. Please put 'PD Enquiry' in the subject field.
  

17. Information about the reorganisation currently held on the DFID web-site will be regularly updated, so please visit again.

* Work on Aid Effectiveness is led by the Performance and Effectiveness Department, contact Roland Fox.

** Work on Conflict is lead by the Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department

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