Devex: Opinion: Finishing the unfinished business of aid effectiveness
Amy Dodd, director of the U.K. Aid Network (UKAN)

“…[W]e need to capitalize on the renewed interest and energy from [last week’s second high-level meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation in Nairobi] and turn this progress into renewed action [to reach development goals]. To do that, provider countries such as the U.K. need to think about and show how they are going to deliver on their commitments. That means realistic and time-bound action plans, working together with other provider countries to learn and share experiences. It needs to be continually pushed up the political agenda as progress will be lackluster at best without political buy in. … Most important will be to see those changes in how things work in country. Perhaps the most frequent refrain from developing country partners — governments, civil society, or other — is to respect their democratic ownership of their own development, their right to define for themselves how they will progress. Further progress on that principle would mark a real step change in global development” (12/8).