OECD’s Development Assistance Committee Chair: Eckhard Deutscher succeeds Richard Manning

18/01/2008 - The member countries of  OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which groups the world’s major aid donors, have elected Eckhard Deutscher to lead the Committee. Mr. Deutscher, who takes up his new office on 18 January 2008, was until recently the German Executive Director to the World Bank.

OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurria welcomed Mr. Deutscher on his assumption of the DAC Chair.   “I am confident  that  Eckhard Deutscher will continue the tradition of DAC Chairs committed to ensuring that donor countries work with their developing partners to improve the lives of the billion people living in extreme poverty.”

Looking forward, Mr. Deutscher said: “Development challenges such as poverty, climate change, education and health make it imperative for donors and partner countries to work together.  Donors must give more aid, more predictably and more efficiently. Developing countries must govern fairly and accountably. I will be meeting with donor countries beyond the DAC such as China and India, and with developing countries, to encourage effective development co-operation.”

As the German Executive Director to the World Bank since 2002 and Dean of its Board of Executive  Directors since 2006, Mr. Deutscher has extensive experience of the politics and economics of international aid. He has also been the Director of the Centre for Democratic Studies on Latin America, based in Costa Rica, and lectured at universities in Mexico and Peru.  He was Director of the German Foundation for International Development (now INWENT) from 1991-2000.   He holds  PhDs in Development Studies and in Social Science and Philosophy from the University of Frankfurt. 

Mr. Gurria also thanked the outgoing DAC Chair, Richard Manning.  Noting that official development assistance last year amounted to over US $100 billion, Mr Gurria said, “Under Mr. Mannings leadership, OECD’s Development Assistance Committee spearheaded the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness which fosters mutual accountability in aid partnerships and local ownership of development policies by the world’s poorest countries.” 

More about the work of OECD’s Development Assistance be found on the web: www.oecd.org/dac

For further information, journalists are invited to contact Helen Fisher, OECD Media Relations Division (tel: + 33 1 45 24 80 97).