"At its core the 4th High Level Conference on Aid Effectiveness in Busan (HLF4) was about the redistribution of power in development cooperation. This cooperation is now undergoing a paradigm change, reserving economic growth, a stronger results orientation and the private sector a central role in the „Busan Outcome Document” (BOD). Yet, the BOD is still a document focussing on development cooperation and not on development as such, despite pointing out the importance of trade and pledging to leverage ODA in the financial markets. Busan stands for an ownership based model of global development cooperation recognizing the contributions to development of actors as diverse as Civil Society or China as part of one framework of „common principles, shared goals but different commitments“. The donors’ anxiousness to have especially the new donors on board resulted in a weaker than otherwise possible BOD f.i. on the importance of Human Rights, on the commitments of the donors or on definite indicators and time frames. For Civil Society, Busan marks its graduation as a global development actor. It will also form part of the new institutional framework to follow the HLF4, the “New Partnership for Effective Cooperation in Development”, destined to see light in June 2012."
"While Busan marks the final graduation of civil society among the actors of development at the global level, much remains to be done to achieve a similar recognition at the national and local levels. What is the point of all superstructures if the higher development effectiveness does not reach the poor?"
Read the full assessment of the Busan Partnership by ACT Alliance.
Subscribe to the Newsletter