Aid effectiveness and accountability: G8 support is key for progress

Canada, 2010 G8 chair, invited the OECD to participate in the G8 Development Ministerial meeting in Halifax, on 27-28 April 2010.  The meeting lays the foundations for development proposals for the Leaders Summit in Muskoka in June 2010. The OECD will lead the discussion on the overarching theme of accountability and effectiveness of aid relationships. Highlighting progress, challenges and areas where political will can make aid make a difference for development results (OECD brief for G8).

Aid effectiveness is about delivering aid in a way that maximises its impact on development and achieves value for aid money.  Progress on effectiveness requires greater accountability by donors and developing countries - to their own taxpayers and to each other - for the development commitments they have made. 

G8 Leaders committed last year in L’Aquila to “accelerate implementation of our aid effectiveness commitments, with a strong focus on in-country implementation, to be reviewed at the 2011 Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness” (G8 2009 Declaration, Para. 102). 

The Halifax meeting is an important opportunity for confirming the G8 engagement and injecting additional political momentum into the aid effectiveness agenda, half-way between Accra and the Korean High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. Much could be achieved in terms of more effective aid if there is political will - and the G8 can provide the needed momentum.

For more information:

• OECD work on aid effectiveness
• The G8 Development Ministers’ Meeting Chair’s Summary
• G8 Development Ministers meeting