The peer review of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD DAC) highlighted Slovenia's many strengths, such as its influence in international organisations, its effective cooperation in the Western Balkans grounded in Slovenia’s experience in the European Union approximation process, and its strong support for post-conflict reconstruction through humanitarian mine action. According to the examiners, the re-establishment of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid in November 2022 and the inclusion of development cooperation among Slovenia’s foreign policy priorities are an opportunity to further increase the scope and impact of Slovenian development cooperation.

During the discussion on the peer review recommendations, members exchanged good practices and endorsed ten recommendations. These point to the need to further narrow the focus on selected geographic and thematic priorities in both bilateral and multilateral development cooperation. The DAC also recommended that Slovenia adopt and implement an action plan to achieve the 0.33% Official Development Assistance (ODA) to GNI ratio by 2030, in line with international commitments. Slovenia should continue to strengthen inter-ministerial co-ordination and staff capacity; raise awareness of the results of development co-operation; ensure multi-annual funding and a shift towards fewer larger projects; examine the scope for tuition fee waivers and improve the quality of development co-operation by strengthening cross-cutting issues and the evaluation culture; and further develop co-operation with NGOs and the private sector.

On the Slovenian side, the meeting was chaired by Director-General Edvin Skrt, who stressed that Slovenia will build on the recommendations to further upgrade good practices in development cooperation. Slovenian NGOs were represented by Max Zimani, Director of the SLOGA Platform.

Today's meeting was the final step of the second peer review of Slovenia, conducted by Denmark and Switzerland in their capacity as examiners of the OECD DAC. The two-year process assessed Slovenia's ODA, its achievements and the scope for further improvement. The official launch of the report in Slovenia will take place on 22 October 2024 during the 12th edition of the Slovenian Development Days.

The peer review is a mechanism allowing to periodically examine the efforts of individual DAC members with the aim to improve the effectiveness of their development cooperation policies and systems. It also aims to strengthen development partnerships to contribute more effectively to poverty reduction and promote sustainable development in developing countries.