As the third Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, draws near, the financial needs of developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries, to end extreme poverty by 2030 are increasingly taking center stage.
In a recently released report, the ONE Campaign laid out what it calls the “five key elements of an Addis mutual accountability”: a nationally owned minimum per capita spending level to deliver basic services to all, particularly for the poorest countries; revenue-to-gross domestic product targets for greater domestic resource mobilization; a revival of the 0.7 percent target and a commitment to allocate at least 50 percent of aid to LDCs; inclusive growth; and strong accountability through a data revolution.
These goals highlight the importance of both domestic and external funding in LDCs. But as FHI 360 CEO Patrick Fine pointed out in a recent op-ed, “without external finance, LDCs can’t afford the modern institutions and infrastructure necessary to increase productive capacity and attract private capital.”