The United Nations Development Cooperation Forum is unique in convening all actors under the UN umbrella to address issues that are elsewhere discussed in disparate institutional and policy silos, yet it struggles to gain influence and traction. Strengthening this forum can be a first step towards renewing and heightening global commitments on international development cooperation.

Matthew Simonds
Matthew Simonds joined Eurodad in January 2024 as a Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer with the Development Finance team, where he covers international development cooperation and official development assistance (ODA). Throughout his career he has been engaging institutions like the OECD, the UN, the IFIs and the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). Prior to this he was with the Civil Society Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), where he worked extensively on the sustainable development agenda. He began his work within international civil society in 2008 at the ITUCs United Nations office covering several UN processes, and most notably the UN Financing for Development Process. He holds a master’s degree in international development from the New School University’s Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy and a bachelor’s degree from the New York University Stern School of Business. Based in Paris, he is a native English speaker and also speaks French and basic Spanish.