Preparations for the 2014 DCF
The fourth Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) (10-11 July 2014, New York) will advance global dialogue on the future of development cooperation in the post-2015 era.
The extensive preparations have engaged all stakeholders – donor and programme countries, Southern partners, civil society, philanthropic foundations, the private sector, parliamentarians, local governments and international organizations. Pre-meetings and side events will begin on the 9 July 2014.
Focus areas
The preparations for the Forum were focused on three interlinked strands of work, defined in the Support Strategy for the 2012 to 2014 DCF cycle: the future of development cooperation; global accountability in development cooperation and South-South and triangular cooperation. Preparations were geared to advancing global dialogue on the future of development cooperation in the post-2015 era.
Activities
In support of the 2014 DCF, the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination (OESC) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) organized three country-led high-level symposiums, together with Ethiopia, Switzerland and Germany, plus regional expert group meetings and country-level activities, such as surveys and workshops:
- A renewed global partnership for development for a post-2015 era, DCF Ethiopia High-level Symposium (5-7 June 2013) )
- Development cooperation in a post-2015 era: Sustainable development for all, DCF Switzerland High-level Symposium (24-25 October 2013) on
- Accountable and effective development cooperation in a post-2015 era, DCF Germany High-level Symposium (20-21 March 2014)
- Meetings among South-South Development Cooperation Partners (Delhi, India, April 2013; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 2013; Istanbul, Turkey, December 2013; Berlin, Germany, March 2014; and Mexico City, Mexico, April 2014).
- Special Policy Dialogues on:
- The role of development cooperation in advancing gender equality (Vienna, December 2012)
- Shaping the role of philanthropic organizations in the post-2015 setting (New York, April 2013)
- Decentralized Development Cooperation (Rabat, October 2013)
Substantive preparations
UNDESA supports the analytical work for the DCF. It publishes analytical studies related to the respective themes of each symposium and other preparatory meetings on the sub-pages. These cover angles such as global accountability for development cooperation, the use of financing for sustainable development or an overview of the global partnership for development. The DCF carries out regular surveys on mutual accountability at the country level to feed the national experience into the global discussions on monitoring and accountability.
The analytical work culminates in the Report by the Secretary-General on Trends and Progress in International Development Cooperation.
DESA also publishes the International Development Cooperation Report (IDCR). The report analyses trends in development cooperation and provides an assessment of how development cooperation is changing to adapt to an altered development landscape. It thus provides valuable lessons learnt and recommendations to feed into the biennial fora.
Role of the DCF
The DCF is one of the principal functions of the UN Economic and Social Council, established by the 2005 World Summit and launched in 2007. The DCF provides a:
- Forum for dialogue on the effectiveness and coherence of international development cooperation
- Platform to engage all stakeholders
- Authoritative source of analysis on trends in development cooperation
Functions of the DCF
- Focus the dialogue on development cooperation on its support for achieving development goals.
- Strengthen the connection between global dialogue and policy and practice at all levels.
- Facilitate discussion that generates concrete guidance and tools for practitioners.
- Strengthen partnerships at country level.
To learn more about the 2014 DCF, please visit. If you wish to keep up to date with the DCF, its work and upcoming events, please send an email to dcf@un.org.