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The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. A DAC member since 2013, Poland has aligned its 2021-2030 Multiannual Programme with the 2030 Agenda, under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Building on recommendations made in Poland’s first peer review in 2017, this review identifies opportunities for the Polish development co-operation system to work better together, programme bilateral official development assistance (ODA) more efficiently, and enhance multilateral and civil society partnerships. Recommendations include moving from annual calls for proposals to a more sustainable partnerships model, strengthening the MFA’s capabilities to co-ordinate with other actors in partner countries and better aligning Poland’s international engagement with its commitments to sustainable development.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. The Czech Republic’s (Czechia) official development assistance remained stable on average at 0.14% of gross national income since 2016 and jumped to 0.36% in 2022 primarily due to the costs of hosting Ukrainian refugees. Czechia is recognised for its strong support to democratic transition and human rights. Its long-term 2018-2030 strategy ensures predictability and provides for flexibility. The report highlights efforts to engage with the European Union and its members, and identifies opportunities for building institutional learning processes. As the Czech development co-operation continues making progress towards established DAC standards, this peer review provides a set of recommendations to strengthen its institutional set-up to accelerate progress towards a more cohesive portfolio that explicitly addresses poverty and/or inequality, and to build better partnerships with local CSOs and the private sector.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. The Netherlands continues to focus on its strengths and drives internal reforms to achieve sustainable impact. It stays engaged in fragile contexts, providing long-term and flexible financing. It is highly valued as a champion for gender equality, provides strong support to local civil society and takes action to tackle spillovers from its economic footprint. This peer review provides recommendations to enhance the Netherlands’ engagement in partner countries by putting its ambition for locally led development into practice, ensuring its thematic approach is adapted to context, and clarifying its risk appetite. Reversing the trend of decreasing budgets was a significant achievement, but effects of in-donor refugee costs on the broader Dutch development programme need to be managed.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. Iceland adopts a partner-led, poverty-focused and long-term approach with its three partner countries and relies on multilateral partners to complement its bilateral portfolio. Iceland successfully advances gender equality and new framework agreements with civil society have strengthened partnerships. This peer review provides a set of recommendations for Iceland to remain focused in its 2024-28 development co-operation policy and forthcoming environment and climate strategy, build on recent official development assistance (ODA) volume increases to develop a concrete roadmap towards 0.7% GNI as ODA, and adopt a strategic workforce plan to address human resource constraints. It recommends that GRÓ training programmes prioritise strengthening partner institutions’ capacity and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs works to ensure additionality and sustainability when engaging with the private sector.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. New Zealand is a valued partner in the Pacific where most of its official development assistance (ODA) is delivered. Led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, its commitment to national and regional ownership, efforts to draw on indigenous knowledge and values, and scaled-up climate finance commitments attest to New Zealand’s engagement and relevance. This peer review provides recommendations for New Zealand to make the most of the closer integration of foreign and development policy in the Pacific, reinforce human resources, enable efficient and effective decision making, strengthen transparency, build public understanding of development, foster the linkages between climate-related investments and other priorities, and establish a plan for increasing ODA to deliver on New Zealand’s strategic goals.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. A DAC member since only 2016, Hungary has achieved impressive growth in its official development assistance (ODA). Bilateral co-operation has increased, in particular, and relies on close consultation with partners. Hungary champions sustainable water management, combining diplomacy, domestic expertise and development co-operation. In fragile contexts, it focuses its support to local civil society organisations, and in particular faith-based actors. As it continues to make progress towards established DAC standards and ways of working, an institutional reorganisation provides Hungary with significant opportunities for further reform. This peer review provides a set of recommendations to increase the impact of Hungary’s engagement in partner countries, deepen collaboration across institutions and with stakeholders, strengthen internal systems, and balance tensions between domestic and global objectives.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. The United States has led with substantial ODA contributions in response to multiple crises. Twenty-one US government agencies programme and deliver foreign assistance. USAID systematically incorporates collaboration, learning and adapting in its programme cycle and works to increase diversity, equity and inclusion by championing locally-led approaches. This peer review provides a set of recommendations for the United States to mitigate negative transboundary effects of its policies, promote more flexible budget appropriations in line with needs, equip its development finance institution to deliver and adopt a clearer approach to multilateral partnerships. It recommends that the United States puts development effectiveness at the heart of localisation, reinforce human resources, and consider conflict prevention in all country programmes.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. Portugal mobilises its whole of government expertise with a strong focus on partner country ownership. Building on long-standing and close bilateral relations, it concentrates its funding on countries most in need. Through effective international advocacy, the country champions triangular co-operation and has fostered agreement amongst European Union (EU) members on issues such as strengthening Team Europe’s commitment to human development when it held the Presidency of the EU Council. However, Portugal can make more out of the wide participation of state and non-state actors in its development co-operation. This peer review provides a set of recommendations to improve co-ordination across government, pull bilateral efforts together, focus more on outcomes and take action to increase official development assistance (ODA).

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. Spain has put the 2030 Agenda at the centre of its foreign policy and development co-operation. It works in alliances to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, internationally and in partner countries. Spain is valued for its work in horizontal and inclusive partnerships, and its ability to mobilise public sector expertise to capture and share knowledge. As Spain embarks on a comprehensive reform of its development co-operation strategy and architecture, this peer review provides a set of recommendations to improve strategic steering, streamline its administrative framework, strengthen human resources and fully mobilise its financial co-operation.