introduction
Fifteen years ago, the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness shifted the focus to ownership and mutual accountability in development cooperation. The subsequent launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined international development goals, with aid and development effectiveness now concentrating on methods for achieving these objectives.
The Busan High-Level Forum in 2011 saw the agreement of four fundamental principles encapsulating the essence of aid and development effectiveness:
Country ownership: Countries establish their own national development priorities, and development partners align their support accordingly.
Focus on results: Sustainable impact becomes the driving force of development cooperation.
Inclusive partnership: Development partnerships embrace inclusivity, recognizing the diverse and complementary roles of all actors.
Transparency and mutual accountability: Countries and their development partners mutually hold each other accountable, ensuring that information on development cooperation is publicly available.
Today, aid and development effectiveness stand as more important than ever. Aligned with SMC's vision of "a world free from poverty and oppressive structures, in which people can influence their own situations and where God’s creation is managed responsibly for future generations," these principles guide their commitment. Resources for aid and development effectiveness, along with SMC materials on Core Support, can be accessed here.
