Posts in: International Cooperation

The #InternationalCooperation sector (also known as development cooperation) is ripe for change. But there is often scepticism because stakeholders do not see clear and tangible alternatives to the current system. But here’s the thing: the future only becomes visible when we start creating it.

Fortunately, innovative solutions already exist - solutions that show us how to do things differently. The problem? Unfortunately, they are largely overlooked by the aid mainstream. 🚀 #FutureOfCooperation

One standout example is Giveth, a platform for donation-funded projects built on Web3 technology. While this technology is still often met with scepticism, its potential is undeniable. Here’s what makes it stand out:

• No processing fees: Every cent of your donation goes directly to the project. No cuts, no hidden costs. 💯
• Streamlined efficiency: Automation handles the heavy lifting, reducing manual processes and increasing transparency. ⚙️
• Empowered communities: Features are designed to involve communities in meaningful ways, fostering ownership and collaboration. 🤝
• Quadratic funding in action: An innovative model that boosts projects supported by the wider community, already live and operational. 💡
• And much more!

Platforms like #Giveth demonstrate how transformative change is possible—not just in theory but in practice. These approaches aren’t just ideas; they’re live, working examples of what the future of development cooperation could look like. 🌟

🎯 tl;dr: Tired of business as usual in development? Check out Giveth. It’s a platform for international cooperation that shows what’s possible with innovative use of technology.

Have we reached ‘peak aid’? asks the article in Guardian by Nilima Gulrajani and Jessica Pudussery. Decades of focusing too much on increasing top-line results and less on the bottom-line of international cooperation, which should be #impact. #FutureOfCooperation

In International Cooperation, most structural challenges are complex. Unfortunately, the sector is not well prepared to work in the complex domain.🌀 #FutureOfCooperation

Read the full blog post on micro.blog, also on LinkedIn. Find all the posts of this series in one place, connect on LinkedIn

tl;dr: The SDGs are essential for global progress, but “SDG alignment” often masks flexible interpretations, strategic misalignment, and skewed power dynamics. Real impact demands transparency, accountability, and local engagement—not just SDG branding. ✨ #FutureOfCooperation

🌍 There is no doubt that a set of goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is essential as a general globally shared understanding to eradicate poverty, protect our planet and ensure prosperity for all.

However, there are also issues with the claim of SDG alignment:

• Flexible interpretations: The abstract nature of the global goals allows for different interpretations, allowing projects to claim alignment with certain SDGs without substantive evidence.
• Complex impact chains: Some initiatives develop complex and creative theories of change to justify their link to SDGs. However, these may not represent the core impacts of the project, and other impacts that run counter to the spirit of the SDGs may remain obscured.
• Strategic misalignment: Organisations may use the language of the SDGs to gain legitimacy and attract funding, but lack the capacity or commitment to ensure that their work is truly aligned with the SDG goals. This practice risks ‘SDG branding’ without delivering real impact.
• Power dynamics: The SDGs often function as a top-down framework, imposed by donors or international bodies. Local actors, who are critical to project implementation, may feel excluded from target-setting and decision-making processes, resulting in initiatives that don’t fully address community needs.

Therefore, even if a project aligns its outcomes with the SDGs, it doesn’t automatically qualify as a ‘good’ project in terms of sustainable transformative impact. True alignment requires transparency, accountability and a deep understanding of the local context to ensure that initiatives contribute meaningfully to the overarching goals.

Development cooperation: lofty ambitions 🌍, but too often entangled in pitfalls gone unaddressed for too long. 🌀 #FutureOfCooperation

Read the full blog post on micro.blog, also on LinkedIn. Find all the posts of this series in one place, connect on LinkedIn

tl;dr: Lessons from a international cooperation project in Burkina Faso: a revealing account of flawed approaches and ineffective donor involvement. #FutureOfCooperation

Development aid is meant to empower—but too often, systemic issues turn good intentions into missed opportunities. Mayliss François’s (LinkedIn) recent insights from managing a project in Burkina Faso shed light on this:

🔸 Donor-driven agendas clash with local realities, sidelining collaboration. 🔸 Bureaucratic overload strains local organizations, eating into resources and neglecting national laws. 🔸 Financial struggles arise from delayed payments and restrictive in-kind subsidies. 🔸 Ethical challenges exclude vulnerable groups due to rigid donor metrics. 🔸 Feedback gaps create barriers to project improvements, stifling adaptability.

Mayliss François calls for trust, locally aligned requirements, and strong feedback loops to make development aid more effective and sustainable. 🌱 Read the full article here: The sour taste of development aid and what to do about it

👉 👉 That’s why there is a need for a tool embedded in an innovative mechanism to address these challenges, starting with changemakers and small NGOs, with a strong focus on local empowerment - if you are interested in co-developing this solution, let’s connect! 🙌

tl;dr: Development organizations must align their operations with their public benefit missions, ensuring that institutional interests don’t compromise community empowerment. #FutureOfCooperation

💡 The development sector typically presents itself as prioritising the public good. However, as a multi-billion dollar industry, it harbours significant vested interests. Institutions tend to adopt business models aimed at self-preservation and growth. While this may be justifiable at an organisational level, it can seep into operational practices and undermine principles such as “helping people to help themselves” and the goal of becoming redundant as catalysts for change.

Some considerations:

• Align Incentives with Public Benefit: Design funding models that reward measurable, tangible public impact instead of institutional growth alone. Results-based financing and community-driven approaches can realign priorities effectively.
• Build Locally Embedded Solutions: Collaborate with local stakeholders to design models that address actual community needs while ensuring long-term sustainability.
• Resilient, Adaptive Institutions: Diversify revenue streams and foster an agile organizational culture to balance innovation, adaptability, and sustainability.
• Leverage Technology and Data: Use data-driven decision-making and technology to enhance transparency, engage communities, and create feedback loops that keep public benefit at the core.

By aligning incentives, building locally embedded solutions, fostering resilience, and leveraging technology, institutions can uphold their mission and drive sustainable, meaningful change.

tl;dr: Global hunger is on the rise. Over 150 laureates urge immediate action to enhance food production.

🚨 Hunger threatens to become a major global challenge. 🚨 Despite the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aiming to eradicate hunger by 2030, over 150 Nobel and World Food Prize laureates witnessing a troubling rise in food insecurity.

Laureates have issued an urgent call to action, emphasizing the need for immediate and innovative solutions to boost food production and address this crisis.

🌐 Read the full open letter here: www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm

tl;dr: In #DevelopmentCooperation, most structural challenges are #complex. Unfortunately, the sector is not well prepared to understand and work in the complex domain. #FutureOfCooperation

🌍 In development cooperation, especially when it comes to tackling underlying structural challenges, initiatives operate in the realm of complexity. Understanding this is crucial for effective decision-making.

In the complex domain, cause and effect are only apparent in hindsight, requiring adaptive and emergent solutions. The Cynefin Framework helps to make sense of the world in which one wishes to make a difference and explains an initial distinction between Ordered (simple as well as complicated), Complex, Chaotic. 🔍

Characteristics of the complex domain:

• Unpredictability: Outcomes are uncertain and traditional project management approaches may not be effective.
• Emergent solutions: Effective strategies emerge through experimentation and learning rather than the application of best practice.
• Need for adaptability: Flexibility and responsiveness are essential to navigate the changing landscape of challenges (and opportunities) that initiatives face.

Nevertheless, development cooperation continues to be based on an understanding of the world as an ordered domain, sometimes unknowingly in a state of confusion. The sector needs to get real:

• Iterative approaches: Conducting safe-to-fail experiments - even many in parallel - allows for learning and adaptation, leading to more effective interventions.
• True stakeholder engagement: Working with local communities and stakeholders is essential to understand the nuances of complex environments.
• Continuous learning within individual initiatives: Ongoing evaluation and adaptation are needed to respond to emerging patterns and challenges.

🌱 It would be very helpful if sector leaders were to recognise the complex nature of structural challenges in development cooperation. This would allow appropriate action to be taken.

🌍 Before we look at the #FutureOfCooperation, let’s clarify what we talk about.

#DevelopmentCooperation is about supporting the economic, social, environmental and political development of countries, especially those classified as developing nations.

Unlike #HumanitarianAid, which provides immediate relief during crises, development cooperation focuses on long-term improvements in living conditions and sustainable development goals.

Key characteristics include:

• 🎯 Alignment with development priorities: Initiatives are framed in narratives that claim to achieve specific goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• 💡 Non-profit orientation: Activities are designed to benefit communities without seeking profit. However, players in the sector follow certain business models to cover costs and ensure long-term existence in this field.

• 🌱 Addressing structural challenges: Efforts prioritise the needs of developing countries to tackle underlying issues. This is obviously a good thing, but also very difficult to achieve.

Stay tuned for more information on the #FutureOfCooperation, including discussions on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus, which aims to link the humanitarian and development sectors.

TL;DR: Development cooperation tackles long-term global challenges, 🎯 claiming to be aligned with goals like the SDGs, 💡 prioritizes public benefit, yet with models that secure the existence of the institutions involved, and 🌱 aims to address deep-rooted issues in so-called developing countries, despite its complexity.