Effectiveness cannot plug the decline in ODA - Civil Society

MANILA, Philippines - July 29, 2025 - PRLog -- In a communique titled Beyond rhetoric: Advancing accountability and inclusion in development cooperation, global civil society platform CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) raised concerns on the risk that donors may substitute revived effectiveness rhetoric for declining aid volumes, further deepening financing shortfalls. 'Doing more with less' - supposedly thanks to effectiveness - is prevalent in current donor discourse.  This is not only misleading but also may undermine the effectiveness agenda itself, which is meant to place countries in the driver's seat. This statement was issued following the outcome of the recent 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Sevilla, Spain.

CPDE participated at the FfD4 to urge development finance stakeholders to revitalise the implementation of the effectiveness agenda within the IDC architecture and the broader financing for development agenda.

CPDE acknowledges FfD4's gains in defending prior commitments on IDC such as development effectiveness principles, ODA volume, and reduction of fragmentation. Similarly, progress include supporting UN leadership in coordinating IDC, inclusive, country-led coordination platforms, obtaining high-quality, disaggregated data with references to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) and IATI, monitoring and accountability for private sector actors and private finance. Along with this progress is the launch of the 2030 Pact for Effective Development Co-operation under the umbrella of the Sevilla Platform for Action - a collective call to action aimed at revitalizing effectiveness commitments and implementation, which CPDE co-led.

However, CPDE notes that the prevailing discourse's disconnect between global international development cooperation (IDC) policy processes and peoples' real struggles—particularly those rooted in historical injustices of colonization and resource extraction—remains unaddressed. The dominant narrative continues to frame development cooperation as benevolent support rather than a matter of global justice and equity. Further, the critical roles that civil society play remains largely unrecognised.

The statement ends with the platform's acknowledgment of the challenging road ahead, as well as a renewed commitment to its mission: "to promote effective, just, feminist and inclusive development cooperation that responds to people's rights and dignity."

Moving forward, CPDE commits to further reflect on lessons and outcomes of the FfD4 process, champion the 2030 Pact for EDC, engage in the strengthening of the UN Development Cooperation Forum, amplify the voices of local and grassroots civil society, and consolidate the platform while working in broad alliances.

CPDE is an open platform that unites civil society organisations from six regions and seven major sectors (feminist, indigenous peoples, international CSOs, labour, migrants, rural, and youth) around the world on the issue of effective development cooperation. It participates in the CSO-FfD Mechanism under the International Development Cooperation and Feminist Workstreams. Check out csopartnership.org today to learn more about its engagement in the area of development finance. (https://csopartnership.org/our-campaigns-and-engagements/...)