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The Advisory Group on the Development Cooperation Forum organized a Special Event on “Rethinking Development: Towards a New Sustainable Development Architecture”. The meeting was held in preparation for the 2012 DCF and to contribute to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). It took place on 29 November 2011 on the margins of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Republic of Korea.
The following questions were discussed:
- What would be priority actions to ensure that development cooperation fosters a sustainable development agenda while continuing to advance the MDGs?
- Are aid effectiveness principles fully relevant in the context of the concept of sustainable development? Do they need to be supplemented by other considerations?
- How do we ensure that an increased focus on sustainable development does not undermine past progress on country ownership and leadership and donor coordination?
- What are the implications of a transitioning sustainable development for aid allocation between countries, regions, sectors and within countries?
- How can it be ensured that the needs of the most vulnerable are being met?
The event discussed the implications of the sustainable development agenda for international development cooperation. It also debated the challenges and opportunities for donor and programme countries arising from the concept of sustainable development. Also, the potential impact of this concept on aid quantity, quality and allocation between countries, regions and sectors was discussed. Participants came from developing and developed countries, civil society, parliamentarians, and international organizations.