In many countries, financing development challenges such as humanitarian disasters, communicable diseases, and basic social services have, until recently, relied heavily on foreign aid or official development assistance (ODA). The landscape has been slowly shifting towards a development approach that is more “demand-driven”: steered and owned by developing countries in partnership with donors.

In many developing countries, especially low-income countries, foreign aid still plays a significant role in financing government priorities and will continue to play a crucial role in the years to come. Yet foreign assistance is not adapting to the changing landscape of developing countries, and there is concern whether donors like the United States are able to deliver the level of flexibility and variety that countries are demanding. This shift towards demand driven development and increased country ownership requires rethinking the way aid is delivered, and the relationship between donor and recipient countries. In order to ensure that low-income countries—particularly fragile and conflict-affected states—make progress, the United States and other donors will need to embrace new approaches and instruments to tackle persisting challenges.

This event will launch a new report that discusses the concept and importance of a demand-driven approach to development from a U.S. perspective. The discussion will focus on the programmatic and policy changes that need to take place to fully adopt the principles of a demand driven approach.

This event is made possible through generous support of the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington D.C.