In Davos this January, two former senior government officials, Nigeria’s ex–Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya, signalled a push to rethink how the world approaches development cooperation, as long-standing models come under growing strain.
The backdrop was unmistakable. Aid budgets are tightening. Trust in multilateral institutions is eroding. And the pressures facing developing countries from rising debt and climate shocks to conflict and fragility – are outpacing the systems designed to support them.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, González announced the launch of the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition, a new, independent initiative aimed at reassessing how countries work together on development in an increasingly complex global landscape.
“The past year has been defined by contraction and difficult choices,” González said. “But 2026 needs to be about something more ambitious, building a credible vision for cooperation that works across governments, the private sector and civil society, and puts countries’ priorities at the centre.”
González will co-chair the Coalition alongside Osinbajo, bringing perspectives from both advanced and emerging economies to a debate that has often struggled to reconcile global ambition with national realities.
For Osinbajo, the issue is efficient. “Development cooperation is not abstract,” he said. “It shapes whether economies can create jobs, whether children stay in school, and whether communities can recover after disasters.” He argued that the moment demands a shift away from a narrow focus on aid toward broader partnerships that support long-term economic transformation.
The case for change is underscored by shifting financial realities. While official development assistance now exceeds $200 billion annually, it accounts for less than 10 per cent of total financial flows to developing countries. Many countries today act simultaneously as recipients, investors, innovators and providers of support. Public policy, private capital, civil society action and global public goods are increasingly interconnected, often without coordination.
At the same time, pressures on the system are mounting. More than 50 countries are facing serious debt challenges. Climate shocks are intensifying. Conflict and fragility are spreading, while geopolitical tensions are making international cooperation more difficult, just as collective action is most needed.
The Coalition says it is not focused on incremental reform. Over the next year, it plans to step back and confront more fundamental questions: what development cooperation should achieve today, who it should serve, and how it can deliver results at scale.
Beginning in early 2026, the group will engage governments, international institutions, private-sector leaders, civil society organisations, and young people across regions. It aims to identify misalignments in current approaches and propose practical recommendations for reform.
While development cooperation has delivered significant gains over the past six decades, helping lift hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty and improving access to health and education, those achievements are increasingly under threat as old models struggle to adapt to new realities.
The Future of Development Cooperation Coalition emerged from discussions at the Financing for Development Conference in Seville in mid-2025. Its organisers say its approach is grounded in consultation and shared ownership, rather than top-down prescription.
As global challenges intensify and traditional frameworks falter, the Coalition is positioning itself as a space to rethink cooperation from the ground up, starting with listening and asking what needs to change to make development efforts work better for the people they are meant to serve.
