Denmark has long been a high-quality and generous provider of official development assistance (ODA), especially to the neediest countries. However, it faces significant challenges from a reduction of its aid budget and fast-rising refugee costs. With an estimated 2015 budget of USD 2.6 billion - 0.85% of its gross national income - Denmark is one of a handful of countries to surpass the international commitment to provide 0.7% of GNI in ODA. Yet Danish ODA is programmed to fall back to 0.7% of GNI. This budget reduction and an expecting tripling in spending on refugees in Denmark will put pressure on aid programmes and planning.
Read moreSpain’s official development assistance (ODA) dropped by 68% between 2010 and 2014, after an almost threefold rise from 2000 to 2009, says the latest DAC Peer Review. Spain’s gradual economic recovery should enable it to start reversing the sharp decline and focus more of its aid budget on the least developed countries. The Review commends Spain for its strong focus on reducing poverty and inequality in its focus regions. It says there is room for improvement, however, in the way Spain co-ordinates and monitors its development assistance and in human resource management.
Read more“Portugal brings many positive elements to international development. This includes a forward-looking vision, a tight geographic focus and a commitment to partner countries which have a strong voice in aid projects. These assets could be more effectively deployed if Portugal commits to increase its aid volume, untie its aid and improve the co-ordination and oversight of its aid programme,” said DAC Chair Erik Solheim.
Read morePeer reviews provide in-depth examinations of development systems and policies, including lessons learned, in all DAC member countries.
Consult all reviewsThe OECD DAC conducts periodic reviews of the individual development co-operation efforts of its 29 members. The objectives of DAC peer reviews are to improve the quality and effectiveness of development co-operation policies and systems, and to promote good development partnerships for better impact on poverty reduction and sustainable development in developing countries. DAC peer reviews assess the performance of a given member, not just that of its development co-operation agency, and examine both policy and implementation. They take an integrated, system-wide perspective on the development co-operation and humanitarian assistance activities of the member under review. |
How peer reviews workEach DAC member country is peer reviewed roughly every five years with two main aims: to help the country understand where it could improve its development strategy and structures so that it can increase the effectiveness of its investment; and to identify and share good practice in development policy and strategy. Led by examiners from two DAC member states, the process typically takes around six months to complete and culminates with the publication of the findings. |
Lessons from peer reviewsWhat are countries doing to fulfill their development co-operation objectives and public commitments? Drawing on lessons from our peer reviews, we produce a range of publications that look at different aspects of this question. Managing Aid: Practices of DAC Member Countries is one example. Another is Effective Aid Management: Twelve Lessons from DAC Peer Reviews, designed to help aid practitioners improve their management and delivery of development assistance by learning from each others' experience. |