Accra/Washington, D.C. – A diverse group of global leaders, governments, and institutions today announced the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition — an independent, time-bound initiative bringing together countries of all income levels, and key partners, to co-create a modern vision for how to achieve sustainable development in a rapidly changing world.
The Coalition will facilitate a collaborative process to build a bold and shared approach to the future of development cooperation.
“The world needs a refreshed and more equitable approach to development cooperation—one that recognises shared interests, leverages new sources of finance, and is driven by the priorities and leadership of countries of all income levels,” Alexia Latortue, Head of the Secretariat, said.
“This Coalition is an opportunity to co-create that bold future together.”
The idea for the Coalition took shape during high-level discussions at the June 2025 Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla, Spain, where participants from governments, academia, think tanks, philanthropies, and multilateral institutions agreed that the current system of development cooperation no longer meets the demands of the moment.
The Coalition has been created to look beyond today’s challenges and help establish a stronger, more resilient system for the decades ahead.
A New Vision for Cooperation
“This is about building a new template for development cooperation with partner countries –not for them,” Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, President and CEO of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) said.
“It’s time to create a fairer, faster, and more effective system that reflects today’s realities and responds to the needs of tomorrow.”
The Future of Development Cooperation Coalition is co-hosted by the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), based in Accra, and the Centre for Global Development (CGD), which operates through two independent, affiliated organisations, based in Washington, D.C., and CGD Europe, based in London.
The Coalition will be chaired by two Co-Chairs and ten Commissioners representing diverse regions, perspectives, and sectors.
The Co-Chairs, to be announced in a forthcoming statement, will provide leadership for the Coalition.
They are supported by a small secretariat, headed by Latortue, that will guide the overall work.
An initial group of 17 diverse countries have joined a “coalition of the willing,” committing to engage actively in shaping and benefiting from the Coalition’s work.
To date, the Coalition is backed by the financial support and thought partnership of five major philanthropic institutions.
The Coalition will pursue four main goals:
- Enable inclusive and frank global dialogue on a renewed development cooperation model.
- Generate and synthesise research to inform evidence-based policy.
- Propose shared principles and practical recommendations rooted in country priorities.
- Build a global network of reform-minded leaders driving implementation.
Grounded in Evidence, Designed for Impact
The Coalition’s work will be built on rigorous analysis and broad consultation.
A series of formal regional dialogues and numerous smaller consultations will be held over the next year, complemented by up to ten commissioned research papers from leading scholars and institutions.
The Coalition’s primary outputs will include:
- An analytical report addressing key research questions and mapping global financing flows;
- A principles paper defining core tenets of effective cooperation; and
- A final report providing actionable recommendations for reform.
“The Coalition aims to cut through the noise and to deliver clarity and solutions,” said Rachel Glennerster, President of CGD. “I believe this work can guide a new era of practical, politically realistic development cooperation.”
Initial supporting countries: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, the Republic of Korea, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Zambia.
