“Towards a New Development Cooperation Dynamic – increased diversity in bilateral development assistance providers” in The Canadian Development Report 2011 – Transnational Issues, Multilateral Solutions? The Future of Development Cooperation. The North-South Institute, 2011.

The heterogeneous group of non-DAC providers of assistance are bringing new forms of cooperation, ideas and models that complement, challenge and provide alternatives to DAC donor practices and the multilateral institutions traditionally dominated by them.

This new dynamic brings opportunities and challenges. It highlights the need for new thinking and restructuring of international, including multilateral, dialogues on aid and development cooperation so that they become more inclusive of all development cooperation partners. There are now various signs of how existing development cooperation fora are giving recognition to the diversity of players and modalities, and how these players are claiming space in global policy-making on development cooperation.

However, concerns remain regarding the extent to which an inclusive global development agenda is in the making. Old post-Second World War power structures linger in the multilateral system, and there are questions as to what extent the emerging powers within the G20, most notably the BRICS, are pushing a development agenda.