12 April 2023 – Global civil society platform CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness today urged the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to raise their official development assistance (ODA) substantially, in order to address the worsening multiple crises, and to truly deliver on the commitment to leave no one behind.
The call comes as the preliminary 2022 figures revealed significant redirection of ODA across DAC members towards the humanitarian response, reconstruction, and refugee costs around the war in Ukraine, and away from developing countries around the world.
CPDE argues that while the conflict did require the prompt and holistic assistance of donors to the people of Ukraine, such efforts must go on top of the much-needed response to persistent development challenges across the globe, such as poverty alleviation, the climate emergency, and peacebuilding.
“The ODA’s original objective is to ensure that donor countries contribute systematically towards sustainable development among the poorest and most vulnerable populations. DAC members should then continue to fulfill its commitments around ODA for the long-term, while responding to immediate threats, and not sacrifice one for the other,” said Biljana Spasovska, CPDE Co-Chair and Executive Director of the Balkan Civil Society Development Network.
CPDE Co-Chair and Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Basic Research, Richard Ssewakiryanga from Uganda adds, “The current pattern of ODA flows poses a significant threat on humanity’s common development goals, creating problems that can only breed a vicious cycle of poverty, migration, and conflict.” He also reminded DAC members to renew their commitments to the four effective development cooperation (EDC) principles of democratic ownership of development priorities, inclusive partnerships, results focus, and transparency and accountability, in their delivery of aid.
Reiterating its key asks during the 2022 Development Cooperation Summit in Geneva, CPDE also calls on DAC members, along with other development stakeholders, to uphold the mandate and integrity of ODA to eradicate poverty, address inequalities and promote economic development, and reaffirm commitment in meeting the 0.7% Gross National Income (GNI) target, the .15-.2% GNI to less developed countries (LDCs) target, and avoid diverting ODA to the private sector.
Related to this, the platform supports the positions of the DAC CSO Reference Group, which respond to these challenges in meeting internationally agreed aid targets: the erosion of what counts as aid, the full engagement in responding to climate change, implementation of the DAC Nexus Recommendation, the commitment to realise the full breadth of the effectiveness agenda; and the underinvestment and weak accountability for gender equality and women and girls empowerment. #
