Location: Amman, Jordan
Date: 10 - 11 November, 2005
Hosted by: United Nations University - International Leadership Institute

Context: The Official Development Assistance (ODA) "problem" is complex and multifaceted. For instance, an emergence of new ODA providers with a multiplicity of objectives has led to too many players doing too many things in too many countries. ODA lacks coordination and harmonization. However, it is critical to keep in mind that ODA is a means to ends, and those ends extend beyond goals of poverty alleviation and economic growth. In order to explicitly consider these other ends or objectives, we must reframe the ODA debate to focus on the most appropriate global problem on which to apply a reoriented approach to "development cooperation". Candidate topics on which to focus development cooperation include Pandemics, Climate Change, Doha, "Licus"1, a Humanitarian Compact, and Energy Security.

The unique competence of an L20 meeting might provide an effective forum for Leaders to examine coherent options of using ODA differently, and packaged with other measures, to make substantive progress on a global scale. There are several criteria for selecting among the possible issues of interest to Leaders, for instance, the 'gravitas' of the agenda topic, and the acceptability to the U.S. Another necessary criterion is that there must be a package of credible initiatives that L20 could catalyze. In reorienting the ODA problem towards critical global challenges, we can make the ODA discussion attractive to Leaders, who are interested in solutions to specific pressing problems.

Papers

Margaret Catley-Carlson		Looking at Development Assistance (With somewhat of a focus on Water and ODA)
Catherine Day		How should the L20 take gender considerations into account in deciding what it wants from overseas development aid?
James Dobbins		The Role of Security in Development
Alina Rocha Menocal and Kate Kilpatrick		Towards more effective peace building: a conversation with Roland Paris
John W. Sewell		The Future of ODA: A Role for an L20?
Ian Smillie		Constructing Conflict-Sensitive Aid Policy: The Relationship between Aid and Conflict
Mark Steyn		Action Stations
Ngaire Woods		Working Paper: The Shifting Politics of Foreign Aid
Dr Mukesh Kapila		Towards a "global humanitarian compact" - a role for the L20?

Backgrounders

Francisco Sagasti

Official Development Assistance: Background, context, issues and prospects