The Global Partnerships Conference: what happened and what did we learn?

Hundreds of delegates from around the world, including many Bond members, attended the Global Partnerships Conference last week (19-20 May). 

The conference, hosted by the FCDO, the South African government, British International Investment and CIFF, was seen as an important opportunity to review key aspects of the future of development cooperation

After attending countless panels, plenaries and side events, I have six main takeaways:  

1. We need a better conversation about what forms of finance are needed and how they can be mobilised.  

A central theme was to point out that ODA is insufficient and shrinking, and so we need to focus more on private capital mobilisation. But in general, public and private finance can and should do different things. I want my local primary school to be publicly funded, but I don’t especially want my supermarket to be. I want the state to build roads, but I don’t expect them to manufacture or service my car. This is obvious, but it is often over-looked in the narrative around moving from the (public) billions to the (private) trillions.  

This point is especially true in fragile and conflict affected states, or when dealing with the most marginalised groups, where public finance will be key. Yes, we do need more high-quality private finance to help countries create decent jobs, build lasting infrastructure and support climate resilience. But it doesn’t serve anyone to expect the private sector to do things that only the public sector can do, and vice versa. We also need better tracking and accountability to make sure that any billions and trillions pledged do actually materialise.  

2. We need to talk more about public financing beyond ODA, including ways to support countries to mobilise and retain more of their own finances.  

There is much that can and should be done to tackle unsustainable debts which drain public budgets, to end illicit flows, to change unfair tax rules which global majority countries haven’t had a stake in creating, and to make better use of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). But while there was some focus on MDBs and some welcome words from the deputy PM on illicit finance, I heard too little on these agendas, despite the calls from global majority governments and CSOs. This agenda needs a step change if the UK is going to meet expectations at the upcoming UK-hosted G20 Summit in 2027.  

3. Cuts in ODA were presented as fact without a discussion about what could be done to reverse them, including through creating the right public and political coalitions.  

Why did we not give the floor to the Norwegian state secretary, and ask her how her country has maintained ODA at 1% of GNI and what we can do to emulate that? Could we not have shared the significant body of public communications and insight work which colleagues have gathered on how to make the public case for development?  

4. Civil society has much to contribute and could have done much more to shape the conference.  

Shifting the power was a key theme, and Bond members and our global majority partners have learnings to share on how to make power shifts a reality. I also heard about how groups of different faiths are working together to promote peacebuilding in fragile states; surely a highly relevant topic in an increasingly contested and polarised world. But this learning took place at an event on Woolwich high street organised by Bond’s Faith in Development group, not on the main stage. Meanwhile, global majority partners who had taken time to travel to the conference (with welcome FCDO funding) found themselves, alongside most Bond members, largely in listening mode.   

5. Shrinking civic space and the rights rollback are key challenges and highlight the need for leadership by communities as well as countries.  

There was a big focus on shifting the power to national governments, and I’m all in favour of that in the right contexts. But in many countries, civic space is closing and rights are being eroded. We need to make sure that it is communities and local actors who are the forefront of development efforts, and that the focus on governments doesn’t inadvertently further erode the civil society voice.  

6. We did see some progress and key commitments made, and some improvements in the GPC Compact.  

We saw the FCDO endorse a new Call to Action on Locally Led Development, alongside Bond and other partners. The GPC Compact also improved in the final version, following Bond member pressure. And we saw key stakeholders, politicians and the development community turn up. It is now up to all of them, and all of us, to make sure this sets us on the right path towards the G20, and a more sustainable, fairer and inclusive world for us all.