4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4)

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The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) took place in Busan, South Korea, from 29 November to 1 December 2011.

Busan has been a crucial point in multilateral negotiations on international aid and development cooperation which started at the first High Level Forum in Rome back in 2003. It was a monumental event to take stock of the progress made in delivering aid and furthering development activities across the globe, and to make collective plans for the future of aid and development for all stakeholders.

For civil society organizations, HLF4 was a particularly significant milestone as it marked the first time that civil society participated as a full and equal stakeholder in aid effectiveness negotiations alongside governments and donors. It was thus a unique opportunity to influence development cooperation from the point of view of people’s organizations and further the shift from a technical aid effectiveness approach to development effectiveness based on long term sustainability, addressing the root causes of poverty and the realization of human rights.

EXPLORE THE HLF4

Around 2000 international delegates - ministers, parliamentarians, heads of state agencies, as well as representatives of the UN and other multilateral institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector - convened to review the global progress in improving the impact and value for money of development aid and envisage new commitments to ensure that aid reduces poverty and make lives better.

HLF4 preparations were led by the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness of the OECD-DAC.

Very importantly for CSOs, HLF4 was the first time that civil society was present as a full and equal stakeholder in negotiations. CSO representatives put forward the conclusions of the BetterAid and Open Forum processes for endorsement.

HLF4 - History

Before the HLF4, three High Level Forums on Aid Effectiveness led by the OECD took place in Rome (HLF1 in 2003), Paris (HLF2 in 2005), and Accra (HLF3 in 2008).

Until HLF3 in Accra, the international aid effectiveness discourse at these events was essentially dominated by donor and partner governments.

But the HLF3 outcome Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) recognized CSOs as development actors in their own right to whom distinct effectiveness standards and enabling environment should apply.

Specifically AAA paragraph 20 states:

• "We will deepen our engagement with civil society organisations", including provision of "an enabling environment that maximizes their contributions to development."

HLF4 - General Objectives

HLF4 aimed to:

• Assess global progress in improving the quality of aid against the agreed commitments of Paris and Accra
• Share global experiences in delivering the best results and
• Agree on a Busan Outcome Document to further enhance efforts globally and within countries to make aid more effective in reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

HLF4 Agenda & Format

• HLF4 website

• HLF4 blog

• HLF4 Proposed Format

• Guidelines for HLF4 Structure and Agenda

• List and description of Side Events

• Knowledge and Innovation Space Workshops and Mini-debates Program

• Knowledge and Innovation Space E-posters List

• Building Blocks for post-Busan implementation

• HLF4 Online Library, where you can access the International Framework as well as the Advocacy and Implementation Toolkits from the Open Forum!

HLF4 Stakeholders and Democratic Ownership

Other HLF4 relevant documents and links