Eurodad and partners from the DAC CSO Reference group travelled to Paris earlier this month for the 8th Dialogue between the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and civil society organisations. The Dialogue provides a unique high-level annual opportunity for civil society to meet DAC delegates and engage directly with the full Committee on an array of topics. This month’s meeting took place as the DAC undertakes an internal review, in line with commitments made in the Compromiso de Sevilla. 

The meetings in Paris addressed several important and emerging issues like the notion of mutual interest, what locally-led development means, how to ensure that ODA is being used for poverty and inequalities, and the role of CSOs in strengthening the effectiveness of development cooperation. 

Firstly, the concept of mutual benefit featured throughout the agenda, with its meaning,  purpose and implications remaining the subject of ongoing debate.  While participants acknowledged that mutual benefit has always been an implicit part of development cooperation and could even be a positive by-product, civil society participants cautioned against elevating it to a driving principle of development cooperation. They argued that making an explicit objective of development cooperation, particularly when linked to expectations of reciprocity, could undermine both the primary objective of ODA - which is to support development in developing countries - as well as decades of commitments to improving the effectiveness of IDC. 

Secondly, participants raised the importance of directing development cooperation to where it is needed most, both in terms of geography and purpose. CSOs debated with DAC members what locally-led development means, urging DAC members to look beyond the financial flows, and concentrate instead on local impact. Related to this, suggestions for how to better monitor whether ODA is being used to reduce poverty and inequalities featured throughout the meetings. AidWatch Canada and the OECD Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality both presented ideas on how to ensure data allows Global South countries to have a full picture of the resources they receive in order  to be able to plan accordingly.

Thirdly, another important discussion followed trends from recent effectiveness monitoring, which showed that the enabling environment for civil society is worsening. Consequently, participants continued to stress the importance of democratic country ownership and inclusive development. The recently published report on the implementation of the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance laid bare the barriers to realising a vibrant, independent, functioning and resourced civil society. Given the rapidly deteriorating operating environment, the question remained how the recommendation on enabling civil society could be translated into tangible improvements for communities around the world.

Finally, throughout the meeting, participants expressed frustration over the lack of human and financial resources - and therefore inherently the lack of commitment by DAC members - that is hindering sustained CSO engagement in the OECD-DACs work, and notably participation  from the Global South. Without these resources the perspectives and expertise that civil society organisations based in the Global South bring - and that are essential to the credibility and effectiveness of DAC norm-setting - will continue to be systematically excluded.

At Eurodad, we also used the opportunity of this dialogue to launch our latest toolkit “From advocacy to action: A toolkit for influencing decision-making on IDC” as a resource that can  help CSOs navigate the institutions and debates on International Development Cooperation (IDC). 

This photo was originally posted by Asier Hernando Malax-Echevarria.