On 10 November 2020, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, took part in the High Level Meeting of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), where the participants discussed development cooperation during the global pandemic, including financing for development cooperation, an inclusive and sustainable recovery after the COVID-19 crisis and the effectiveness of development cooperation.
In an exchange of views on how to improve the effectiveness of development cooperation, the Parliamentary Secretary underlined that under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, partner country needs keep increasing. Therefore, the degree of effectiveness of the assistance offered is more vital than ever.
“We need to make sure that development cooperation remains a collective and inclusive endeavour, including a greater engagement with the widest possible range of actors, especially civil society and the private sector. We must not forget that effectiveness is about our partners’ direct ownership of development processes,” the Parliamentary Secretary noted.
While highlighting the importance of concerted action, particular emphasis was placed on a global response by Team Europe to tackle the destructive impact of COVID-19 on partner countries. The European Union and its Member States, acting together as Team Europe, have made a commitment to mobilise more than EUR 36 billion to help partner countries. Latvia’s contribution amounts to more than EUR 770 thousand and, as a priority, is channelled towards the Eastern Partnership and Central Asian countries.
Background information
The OECD Development Assistance Committee is the leading international forum of aid providers in development cooperation. Its main lines of action are: collecting and analysing data on the official development assistance flows; producing recommendations and guidance to underpin best practices of the donor community; and promoting knowledge and experience sharing on development cooperation that is both effective and of a high quality.
The previous High Level Meeting took place in 2017. Since 2013, Latvia has been taking part, as an invited country, in DAC meetings, as well as in its working parties and working groups.