Global development leaders gathered in Kenya’s capital this week to discuss how international cooperation should evolve as shrinking aid budgets, rising debt burdens and shifting geopolitical dynamics put pressure on traditional development models.
The two-day conference, Transforming International Development Cooperation: Markets, Interests and Partnerships in a Changing Global Order, held in Nairobi on 22-23 June and facilitated by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), has brought together policymakers, economists, private-sector leaders, civil society groups and development partners from across the Global South and Global North.
The meeting comes as several donor countries reduce aid spending, public finances tighten and many developing economies struggle with rising debt servicing costs, while progress toward a number of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals remains behind schedule.
Participants said countries in Africa and other parts of the Global South are increasingly seeking partnerships based on trade, investment, innovation and technology transfer rather than traditional donor recipient relationships.
“The real question is whether we can adapt quickly enough, work more effectively across institutions and partnerships, and deliver results that people can see and trust,” Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, told delegates.
Discussions at the conference focused on how markets, entrepreneurship and private-sector investment can complement public development assistance and support long-term growth.
Delegates are also examining ways to strengthen cooperation in addressing challenges including inequality, climate change, conflict, food insecurity, technological disruption and the rising cost of development finance.
Organizers said a key theme of the conference was the shift from aid dependency to partnership-based cooperation aimed at promoting shared prosperity and greater local ownership.
“Development cooperation cannot be built on paternalism, but on agency and trust,” said Ralf Erbel, FNF’s Project Director for East Africa and Global Partnership.
The debate carries particular significance for Africa, which has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and youngest populations but also faces challenges related to debt sustainability, climate resilience, food security, digital transformation and regional trade integration.
Organizers said the Nairobi meeting aims to generate proposals on improving the quality of partnerships, expanding private-sector participation and ensuring development initiatives deliver measurable outcomes.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, a German political foundation, promotes liberal democracy, human rights, market economies and the rule of law through policy dialogue and governance programmes worldwide.
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