A committee of the U.K. Parliament has agreed to lead a two-year inquiry into the future of the country’s development program. It is also seeking written evidence from the public to inform its review.
This inquiry by the commons select committee will assess the need for U.K. development cooperation in the medium to long-term. It will also review the design of future U.K. development cooperation given a changing global landscape, especially with factors like the rise of emerging donors and an increasing recognition of the need to focus on policies “beyond aid.”
To aid its inquiry, the committee is seeking up to 3,000-word written submissions on the following topics:
What is the role of development aid in the future?
How are the main factors affecting well-being and global poverty changing, and how will these changes affect development cooperation?
Should the Department for International Development consider offering concessional loans? What should be the balance between loans and grants?
What is the impact of nonaid policies and instruments such as trade, climate and migration on development? How effective is cross-government work on these policies?
What should U.K. development cooperation look like in the future?
The committee also invites written inputs about U.K. relations with other donors and international organizations and on the country’s ability to shape the future global development agenda.
Organizations and individuals interested in sharing their views should email their submissions on or before Dec. 12, 2012, following guidelines provided by the parliamentary committee. Other calls for written evidence may be announced over the course of the two-year inquiry.
This review is one of the several ongoing or planned assessments of the U.K. development program. Other assessments include a probe recently ordered by U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening on DfID’s use of contractors and consultants. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact, an independent watchdog, also plans to review DfID’s contracting practices.
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