Trade Union messages to the DAC Senior Level Meeting

The Trade Union Messages to the DAC Senior Level Meeting are available here.

The first set of recommendations surrounds private sector instruments and blended finance. Recent research suggests that there is a real risk of donor countries subsidising their own private sector, effectively resulting in an evolved form of tied aid. Trade unions recommend a cautious and critical approach to the use of blended finance is needed in the absence of evidence and best practice and therefore welcome the DAC SLMs consideration to undertake a program of work in this area.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) in its current form is deemed an adequate form of measuring national contributions to development. The aim of the newer and much broader measure of Total Official Support for Development (TOSSD) is not clear. Trade unions warn against using this measure to establish targets instead of ODA.

Further input is provided on the trend of diverting development funds to addressing the ongoing refugee crisis. Long term development objectives should not be sacrificed for short term efforts to respond to and support those that are displaced out of necessity. Trade unions believe that the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) can benefit greatly from improved ways of working, more so than any shift in its mandate, which remain the commitments taken in Paris, Accra and Busan.

The importance of the DAC is also emphasised and efforts of the DAC to reflect on its ways of working and to become a more inclusive body are welcomed by trade unions.