FUTURE(S) OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION – available in English

Over the last few months, ACEP has been preparing a position paper that analyses the International Cooperation for Development sector in  the last decades, as we mark 25 years of intervention.

ACEP has written this document at a time when a new strategy for Portuguese International Cooperation is being defined and profound changes in the field of International Cooperation for Development, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, are taking place. “Future(s) of International Cooperation: Continuities and Disruptions” analyses the course of the Portuguese and European International Cooperation for Development sectors, its main challenges and possible ways forward.

The document reaffirms the need to promote an approach to International Development Cooperation based on principles, such as solidarity, and centred on equal partnerships and shared responsibilities, which implicates a power shift from the Global North to the Global South. It highlights the pivotal role of Official Development Assistance in fighting inequalities, supporting public services and protecting human rights.

The position paper is the result of a permanent dialogue with different stakeholders from the Global South, from decision-makers and researchers to civil society organisations, whose testimonies have been included in the document. We hope that it will contribute to the evaluation of International Cooperation for Development’s policies and practices.

The publication was produced by ACEP as part of an advocacy and political influence project carried out in partnership with the Centre for African and Development Studies of the Lisbon School of Economics and Management CEsA/ISEG), with the support of Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language.