Slovenia celebrates 10 years in the OECD Development Assistance Committee

3. 12. 2023

Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

Ten years ago, Slovenia became a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).

Takratni državni sekretar v Ministrstvu za zunanje in evropske zadeve Bogdan Benko in takratni predsedujoči Odboru za razvojno pomoč Organizacije za gospodarsko sodelovanje in razvoj Erik Solheim med podpisom pristopa Slovenije v Odbor za razvojno pomoč — Bogdan Benko, then State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and Erik Solheim, then Chair of the OECD DAC | Author Organizacija za gospodarsko sodelovanje in razvoj

By joining the DAC, Slovenia has joined a group of development aid donors that adhere to the high standards and principles of development cooperation: a human rights-based approach; effectiveness of development cooperation, including country ownership of their own development; inclusive partnerships for sustainable development; and policy coherence for development.

In the 32-member Development Assistance Committee, donors work to coordinate development cooperation policies aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development, eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities in developing countries. Through its work in the OECD DAC, Slovenia helps shape the standards and criteria that increase the effectiveness of ODA and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The OECD DAC is also the most important international forum for the transfer of experience and practices between donor countries. The institutionalised form of this exchange is through regular peer reviews, in which members exchange the roles of reviewer and reviewed country. Slovenia underwent its first review in 2017, and the next periodic review will take place in the first half of next year, with the aim of making recommendations on the way forward and strengthening the effectiveness of Slovenia's development cooperation.

Slovenia began reporting detailed ODA data according to agreed standards to the OECD DAC even before it became a member - in 2010. As a member, it monitors and proposes improvements to the system of statistical reporting on aid flows and helps to shape various criteria for determining the level of development.

Membership of the OECD DAC plays an important role in the shaping of Slovenia's priorities and objectives in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian aid, as well as in evaluating their implementation. At the same time, Slovenia's active participation in the DAC supports the efforts of the international community to ensure a better future for developing countries.