In January 2023, the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) launched a peer learning exercise on locally led development (LLD) co-operation [DCD/DAC(2023)5], responding to strong interest among its members and partners. This inclusive process, facilitated by the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD), culminated in September 2024 with the publication of the synthesis report Pathways Towards Effective Locally Led Development Co-operation (OECD, 2024[1]), accompanied by thematic and country case studies. Building on this foundation, at the November 2023 High Level Meeting [DCD/DAC(2023)56/FINAL], DAC members committed to developing practical guidelines to support LLD. These guidelines complement the Pathways Towards Effective Locally Led Development Co-operation report by unpacking its enablers into operational considerations. While the Pathways report provides the analytical foundation, these guidelines focus on how to act.
The nine action areas presented in these practical guidelines are the outcome of a consultative and iterative process to identify the foundational conditions that need to be in place to enable LLD. They reflect a broad convergence of views across local actors, DAC members, practitioners and researchers, informed by a significant body of grey literature and evidence. Together, the action areas capture the mindsets, practices and skills of the institutions, regulations and, critically, the staff that DAC members need to strengthen in order to translate political commitments to LLD into operational reality.
Taken together, the action areas describe what “good” looks like in practice. They are mutually reinforcing: progress in one area often depends on progress in others, and no single action area is sufficient on its own. Across all nine, common threads emerge, including supporting genuine local ownership, applying equitable partnership approaches and rebalancing power in development co-operation. The guidelines illustrate how applying these enablers across strategy, policy, programming, financing and management can lead to more relevant, legitimate and contextually grounded interventions, ultimately contributing to more effective and sustainable development outcomes.
While primarily intended for policymakers and practitioners across DAC members, these practical guidelines may also be relevant for partner governments, other bilateral non-DAC providers, multilaterals, civil society, philanthropy and businesses. The action areas offer a non-exhaustive menu of options that can be adapted to different institutional and political contexts. Experience suggests that meaningful progress can be achieved through practical adjustments to organisational structures, processes and management practices, even in the absence of formal LLD policies or commitments. However, explicit and clear policy objectives can help sustain political attention, ensure continuity across leadership changes, anchor minimum standards, and facilitate learning over time.
In the long term, grounded in globally agreed development effectiveness principles, these guidelines aim to support behavioural change across DAC members and strengthen their role as effective partners. Local actors and partners expect tangible shifts in practice. These guidelines seek to help DAC members meet that expectation by translating ambition into action and providing practical entry points for reflection, learning and collective progress, in particular at country level.