LONDON — At central London’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre, a diverse group of development experts crowded in a backroom to discuss an ongoing debate in their field: the U.K. government’s policy of spending aid for “mutual prosperity” — which, despite its prominence, lacks any official definition.
The event was hosted by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact which last year released a study scrutinizing the concept. Among other things, the study said it risked reinforcing negative power relations and undermining public confidence in aid.
As the U.K.’s official aid watchdog, ICAI’s duty “is to provide independent evaluation and scrutiny of the impact and value for money of all UK Government ODA” — or official development assistance — according to a statement on its website. Its guiding principles include accountability, feedback and learning, analytical rigor, and accessibility.