In April 2014, President François Hollande’s cabinet reshuffle brought upon considerable structural as well as policy changes in France. But in the aid community, all eyes were turned toward an arrangement that many struggled to understand: the merging of development and francophonie portfolios under one secretary of state, Annick Girardin.
Although Hollande’s administration has defended the move as a mere attempt to streamline bureaucracy, the change can be seen as indicating France’s broader determination to reform its development policy — a promise Hollande consistently made throughout his presidential campaign.
Halfway into his presidential tenure, Hollande has initiated several interesting changes meant to clarify as well as modernize his country’s foreign aid policy. Here are some of the most noteworthy developments and trends so far.