Every two to three years, the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) holds a High-Level Meeting (HLM) attended by development ministers. In November 2020, the 52nd DAC HLM Level Meeting will take place in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences. For the upcoming HLM, the DAC plans to launch the Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development. It will also discuss the role of the DAC in the development finance architecture and its contribution to a ‘Building Back Better and Greener’ recovery after Covid-19.

This DAC HLM provides an opportunity for DAC Members to commit to doing development better by setting an ambitious, concrete and timely agenda, tackling poverty and addressing systemic and gendered inequalities. Ahead of this meeting, members of the DAC-CSO Reference Group (an open platform which aims to facilitate CSO engagement with the OECD DAC) prepared a set of recommendations focusing on the main goals of this DAC HLM – ‘Building Back Better and Doing Development Better’ – with the following as key demands:

• Show leadership in providing timely support for partner countries to face the unparalleled crises in the wake of Covid-19
• Show commitment to an ambitious, comprehensive and action-oriented response to the climate and ecological emergencies, the irreversible impacts of which will be compounded by entrenched inequalities and the pandemic
• Confirm an unwavering support for the basic effectiveness principles of democratic country ownership, transparency and accountability, focusing on results and inclusive partnerships
• Initiate an inclusive process to develop a robust DAC Recommendation on engaging with civil society

For further details, we invite you to download the full submission shared with the DAC Chair, the DAC Delegates, the Development Cooperation Directorate Director and relevant staff.

The list of organisations that signed the recommendations by 30th September 2020 are:

1. Centre national de Coopération au Développement – 11.11.11
2. 11.11.11
3. ActionAid International
4. Aid Watch Canada
5. Africa Development Interchange Network (ADIN)
6. Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC)
7. Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)
8. European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development (CONCORD)
9. Coordinadora de la Mujer – Bolivia
10. Center for Research and Advocacy Manipur (CRAM)
11. CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE)
12. Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (Eiler)
13. European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)
14. Fundación SES
15. Forum of women's NGOs of Kyrgyzstan
16. Austrian Platform for Development and Humanitarian Aid
17. Ibon International
18. Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC)
19. Coordination Office of the Austrian Bishop’s Conference for International Development and Mission (KOO)
20. Observatorio de la Cooperación al Desarrollo en el Ecuador
21. Portuguese NGDO Platform (ONGD)
22. Oxfam International
23. The People’s Fund for Global Health and Development
24. Reality of Aid – Africa Network
25. Reality of Aid – Asia and the Pacific
26. Reality of Aid