24-25 June - OECD/OIF Consultations on Redefining ODA, Paris
Following the ministerial meeting on redefining ODA in Washington in April, DFI helped OIF and the Commonwealth Secretariat to mobilise developing country officials for this OECD seminar. Twelve countries contributed their views on preferred sources and types of development finance, and how the OECD should define and publish statistics on ODA and other flows. They strongly urged the OECD to i) ensure that tracking flows “beyond ODA” did not mean diluting OECD country commitment to 0.7% targets for ODA; ii) track aid in ways which are more helpful to their planning processes – eg aid which goes through their budgets, and uses their national systems; iii) harmonise methods of calculating concessionality with those of the IMF, using a single 5% discount rate, rather than a risk-weighted calculation which could encourage higher lending to the most indebted countries; and iv) monitor other genuinely development-oriented flows (official or private sector), in NET terms, and through a collaborative process involving the UN, MDBs and NGO/Foundation coordination organisations. A letter by OIF developing countries addressed to the DAC following the meeting is currently being finalised.