Foreword
The annual Development Co-operation Report brings new evidence, analysis and ideas on sustainable development to members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the international community more broadly. The objectives are to promote best practices and innovation in development co-operation and to inform and shape policy reform and behaviour change to realise better lives and the Sustainable Development Goals for all. Each year, the report analyses a policy issue that is timely, relevant or challenging for development co-operation policy and finance. It also includes annual “development co-operation at a glance” data for over 80 providers of development co-operation, including members of the OECD DAC, other countries and philanthropic foundations.
This 58th edition takes stock of the impact, lessons and implications of global threats such as COVID-19 for development co-operation. Ultimately, its goal is to inform development agencies’ strategies to build forward better and to be better prepared for global crises, based on new analysis and insights. In addition to showcasing and sharing lessons in development co-operation, the report identifies the main bottlenecks to success. It also offers practical recommendations that could be discussed by members and participants of the DAC and in other development co-operation fora. The OECD Development Co-operation Directorate worked throughout 2020 to produce this report as the COVID-19 crisis continued to unfold, responding to requests of members for evidence on which to base their ongoing response to this crisis and the recovery from it.
This report comprises an overview and four main sections. The overview summarises its lessons, and concludes with five key agenda items for development co-operation in 2021 and beyond to step up for resilience to global shocks. Part I traces some of the major socio-economic trends that the COVID-19 crisis accelerated, exacerbated or reversed and highlights that the impacts are differentiated and require tailored responses. Part II outlines insights and lessons learnt from the response of development co-operation providers, sheds light on the difficult choices and trade-offs providers made, and discusses the enabling factors in providers’ ability to respond quickly and coherently while taking risks. Part III explores what a focus on resilience building, including through global public goods, could look like in practice for development co-operation. Part IV provides preliminary estimates of concessional financing made available for the COVID-19 response by bilateral and multilateral actors and charts the major trends and challenges in financing the response. In this final section, an infographic provides an overview of emerging trends and insights regarding official development finance and individual profiles provide key data and policy priorities of official and philanthropic providers of aid, official development assistance and development finance.
Each of the sections contains an In My View piece by an eminent figure, analytical chapters contributed by external experts and specialised OECD teams, and case studies providing insights on particular themes or geographical regions. The full report is published in English and French and in the form of multilingual summaries. An electronic version, together with other supporting material, is available on line at: https://www.oecd.org/dac/development-cooperation-report.