Development cooperation in crisis

The second High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) in Nairobi will bring together countries from all over the globe to deliberate on ways to improve development effectiveness. This time, they meet at a critical moment in the history; when the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) needs renewed and energized international effort. Life-saving aid to poor nations from richer ones has been a key driver of progress in the fight against global poverty. And, more recently, middle-income countries have played a vital role in poverty reduction, as South-South cooperation (SSC) expands its geographical reach and introduces new and diverse forms of development partnerships. Development cooperation has saved the lives of millions of who face a death sentence from HIV/AIDS. Development cooperation has helped tens of millions of children attend school for the first time; the majority of them young girls. It has fed the hungry and sheltered many in the face of terrible disaster and war1. Development cooperation also has a pivotal role to play in addressing emerging global challenges: climate change, extreme inequality and the global displacement crisis. As Oxfam, we are proud to have played our small part in these global successes with hundreds of partner organizations over the last seventy years. Despite these successes, we are seeing worrying trends that threaten our global commitments and our ability to tackle the greatest challenges of our time.