Reverse the decline, advance effective development cooperation

9 ASKS FOR FFD4 TO REVITALIZE DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS

As a global civil society platform advocating for effective development cooperation (EDC) rooted in human rights, social justice, and democratic ownership, the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) urges governments and development actors to use the FfD4 in Seville as a milestone to revitalise the implementation of the effectiveness agenda and address the challenges that are undermining  the credibility of the current aid system  CPDE calls for decisive action to align financing frameworks with people-centred, accountable, and inclusive development cooperation. 

The following key asks reflect CPDE’s commitment to justice in development financing and the revitalization of the effective development cooperation (EDC) agenda within the international development cooperation (IDC) architecture and the broader financing for development agenda.

1. Reaffirm development effectiveness principles. Reinforce global commitment to the four core principles of effective development cooperation—country ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships, and transparency and mutual accountability—as fundamental to financing development that leaves no one behind.
2. Advance international development cooperation  architecture reform. Launch an intergovernmental   process to clarify mandates, roles, and coherence among financing institutions. Center this reform on the United Nations, ensuring that the global international development  architecture    brings  together and heeds the voice of  all development actors, including CSOs , and that it is rights-based, and aligned with country priorities. Local development cooperation architecture should reflect these very same principles . In the same spirit, we call on all institutions and actors — at the regional, global, and local levels — that are committed to greater effectiveness to urgently join forces with a view to increasing synergies, avoiding overlaps, and addressing the mounting challenges that international development cooperation is facing.
3. Ensure adequate and just aid volumes. Urge developed countries to meet the 0.7% of GNI commitment to Official Development Assistance (ODA), address aid debt arising from unfulfilled pledges, and reverse the trend of ODA cuts, especially in light of widening global inequalities. While improving development cooperation effectiveness is important, it cannot compensate for the aid cuts introduced by donors, nor can it replace the missing aid flows.
4. Address fragmentation and improve coherence. Promote harmonization and coherence at the country level by aligning aid with national strategies, enhancing coordination among donors and institutions, and ensuring complementarity between North-South and South-South Cooperation.
5. Strengthen democratic country ownership. Institutionalize inclusive and participatory planning processes that allow civil society—particularly marginalized communities in the Global South—to influence development priorities and monitor progress.
6. Promote accountability and evidence-based approaches. Commit to transparent, data-driven monitoring of development cooperation, at the global and local level, with strong civil society participation in accountability  mechanisms such as the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) and its l monitoring framework.
7. Enhance private sector accountability. Demand clear, binding standards for private sector engagement in development cooperation to ensure alignment with human rights, environmental standards, and development effectiveness principles.
8. Enable civil society participation and resourcing. Ensure an enabling environment for CSOs through legal protection, inclusive dialogue mechanisms, and predictable, flexible, and long-term financing for their development and humanitarian contributions.
9. Build political will for revitalized EDC. Encourage national governments, donors, and international organizations to re-centre development effectiveness in the FfD agenda, recognizing it as key to getting the SDGs back on track and responding to global crises.