Development finance is entering a new era, and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, civil society representatives remain unconvinced the new world of development cooperation holds more promise for the world’s poor than the old one.
Shifting ideas about aid, increasingly viewed as a tool to leverage private investment and not as a stand-alone funding stream for social services, have some pro-poor nongovernmental organizations feeling nervous about the outcome — and overall tone — of the third International Conference on Financing for Development, which kicks off Monday in the East African development hub.
“We have to be really strategic,” said Amy Dodd, director of the U.K. Aid Network, at a panel discussion Sunday. “I think we all know there’s been very little space for civil society in these conversations.”
Read more on our coverage of the #FFD3:
► The future of development finance: Live from Addis
► The new landscape of global development
► How better standards and better data can help deliver sustainable #Fin4Dev outcomes
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
