Who owns development effectiveness? A European reality check

The quantity of Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains key for achieving sustainable development, but ‘how’ ODA is used is equally crucial to ensure that no one is left behind. Despite renewed commitment to effective development cooperation, there are concerns that development partners are losing focus on effectiveness, hence undermining the impact of ODA. This discussion paper highlights a number of key aspects of the EU and its member states’ performance against the development effectiveness principles, and also puts forward a set of recommendations.