CPD’s Distinguished Fellow, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya and Senior Research Associate, Ms Sarah Sabin Khan, recently published their article, “Effectiveness of development cooperation: Need for a new conversation on how to assess it”, at the Global Solutions Journal, Issue 4.

In this article, it was highlighted that the effectiveness of external public development finance flows is currently at a turning point. Recently, there has been dramatic shifts in the development landscape.

The authors presented how the profile of developing countries is changing, i.e. the majority of the remaining Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to be African countries. Thus, the changing profile of recipients is not only underpinning allocation decisions, terms of delivery and expectations about outcomes of the providers of development assistance.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are further generating demands on the effective use of financial resources for the “left behind”. Dr Bhattacharya and Ms Khan also showed the shifts in sectoral priorities for official providers. New opportunities are being created from the “non-traditional” providers. It is suggested by the authors to evolve a more integrated approach to assessing the effectiveness of development cooperation.

The global financial architecture concerning external public financial flows is still fragmented. The article recommends to carry out a new conversation, which should:

  • be structured through a bottom-up approach duly acknowledging recipient country perspectives;
  • be convened under the auspices of an organization with broad-based convening power (desirably the United Nations);
  • avoid acrimonious negotiating postures and engage in a mutual learning process;
  • ensure a balanced participation of all stakeholders including from the North and the South as well as from the new set of actors on the ground;
  • interface with other relevant discourses on financing for development including implementation of Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
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