“A conversation about reform is long overdue.”
These were U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s words at a recent parliamentary committee session, referencing global development programs. For that conversation to happen, he has proposed a new conference for the Western community on development and aid, with the U.K. playing a leadership role.
While it is encouraging to hear the U.K. foreign secretary call for reform of the international development system, these conversations are not completely new and reflect a pattern that has defined development for far too long: Western governments and institutions setting the agenda, determining the terms, deciding who gets a seat at the table, and excluding partners from the Majority World.