38 new initiatives were launched by governments, business, private foundations and civil society to push forward effective development co-operation at the first High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation today.

Launched in Busan, South Korea in December 2011, and led by Ministers from Indonesia, Nigeria and the United Kingdom, the Global Partnership helps nations, business and organisations work better together to end poverty.

Over 1500 participants from over 130 countries including developing countries like the Central African Republic, emerging providers like Brazil and Turkey, traditional donors, parliamentarians, leaders from big business like Unilever and H&M and many more attended.

All came together to discuss the progress made so far in development co-operation and to anchor the Global Partnership in a post-2015 development framework.

Opening the conference Mexican President Peña Nieto said:

'We have the opportunity to join forces and move together toward a new era of effective co-operation to enable us to achieve inclusive and sustainable development for the world we want. We're able to build the new architecture of international aid necessary to realize the post-2015 development agenda'.

Concrete commitments launched at the forum include:

• increasing aid aimed at strengthening tax administrations in developing countries to ensure they get  more of their own money.  The initiative, led by the UK, Germany, the World Bank and OECD also aims to measure how much aid goes into boosting developing countries tax administrations.
• The Arab donor co-ordination group pledged to step up development co-operation with developing countries in ways that are fully in line with the Global Partnership Principles.
• Philanthropic foundations launched a set of guidelines on how the philanthropic sector can engage with governments and other stakeholders in the reality of post-2015 development.

The initiatives were launched within a voluntary annex to a far-reaching communiqué adopted by all delegates; 'Building Towards an Inclusive Post-2015 Development Agenda' that aims to push forward effective development co-operation and ensure its inclusion in a post-2015 global development agenda.

The two-day forum included five thematic plenary sessions on areas of co-operation that can boost results in developing countries, including effective development co-operation in middle-income countries, tax and development, 'south-south' and 'triangular' co-operation and knowledge sharing, partnering with business in development and progress in meeting commitments on effective development co-operation that underpin the Global Partnership.

'Africa loses around $50 billion a year through tax evasion, undeclared business and corruption,' said 

Nigerian Finance Minister and Global Partnership Co-Chair Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whilst opening the session on tax and illicit flows.

'The Global Partnership, bringing so many important actors in development together, can and should help developing countries analyse gaps in their tax systems and ultimately improve them,' she added.

Wrapping up the session on 'south-south', 'triangular' co-operation and knowledge sharing, Global Partnership co-chair and Indonesian Minister for National Development planning Armida Alisjahbana said:

'In an ever-changing and dynamic global situation we have come to realize that development co-operation needs a new approach to address increasingly complex development challenges, including approaches beyond financing'.

South-south co-operation is often defined as development support among developing countries. 'Triangular' co-operation is defined as actions that bring developing and developed countries together to assist other developing nations.

In the session on partnering with business in development, Global Partnership Co-Chair and United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening said:

'We must agree a new partnership between emerging nations, aid donors and private investors to make sure every penny spent on development has the greatest possible impact. The Global Partnership provides the right platform to bring these partners together and ensure we are ready to deliver the UN's new development goals from 2015'. 

More information

• Global Partnership website: www.effectivecooperation.org
• Global Partnership Twitter: https://twitter.com/DevCooperation
• Global Partnership blog: http://devcooperation.org

Contacts:

Matthew Taylor (matthew.taylor@undp.org) +82 10 2754 2814