Beyond Aid: a Global Majority manifesto for the 2026 Global Partnerships Conference
The manifesto, published under the supervision of BOND in the run-up to the Global Partnerships Conference in London on 19 and 20 May, provides sound and concrete guidance. The manifesto calls for a fundamental transformation of the global development system. In other words, a truly profound systemic change. According to the initiators, the current system has been shaped by colonial power dynamics. Decisions on funding are often taken far removed from local communities; money flows through costly intermediaries; and accountability to donors often takes precedence over the impact on the communities themselves. The manifesto therefore advocates a deliberate redistribution of power. One of the concrete proposals is that at least 25 per cent of funding should go directly to local organisations. Accountability systems should also be much more closely aligned with locally defined priorities and outcomes.
Beyond Aid: from aid to shared power
The core message is clear: minor adjustments to the existing system are not enough. What is needed is a shift from aid dependency to shared power and locally driven action. It calls for concrete, time-bound commitments in collaboration with actors from the Global Majority. Credibility is not built through conference declarations, but through measurable, structural change.
From ambition to practice: locally led development
Whilst the Beyond Aid manifesto primarily articulates a critique of the system, a broader international call translates that agenda into concrete avenues for action.
On the initiative of Peace Direct, Partos has joined the Call to Action on Locally Led Development, which is being issued ahead of the publication of the new OECD guidelines on locally led development on 29 May. In this Call to Action, we call on all development partners to effectively integrate the OECD guidelines on locally led development into their policies, programmes and partnerships. This involves, amongst other things:
- Be clear about intentions and definitions of locally led development within your organisation.
- Implement meaningful co-creation by recognising local actors as co-decision-makers.
- Develop equal partnerships based on trust and shared ownership.
- Improve human resources policies by prioritising local expertise and decentralising decision-making.
- Ensure high-quality funding that is long-term, predictable and flexible for local actors.
- Redefine the role of international intermediaries towards advice, facilitation and capacity support.
- Simplify due diligence and share risks fairly, rather than passing them on to local partners.
- Promote locally-led monitoring and evaluation that is culturally appropriate and locally embedded.
- Encourage transparency and accountability by tracking how much funding reaches local actors directly.
The Call to Action is an invitation to all development partners to work together to build an international development system based on dignity, equality, and justice for all. The Call to Action is therefore more than a declaration of intent. It is an invitation to fundamentally reshape development cooperation — from the funding framework to implementation.
A vision for the future towards 2040
In the Netherlands, too, the debate on the future of development cooperation is firmly on the agenda. The Advisory Council on International Affairs is set to begin work on a request for advice from the new minister, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, regarding a vision for the future of development cooperation towards 2040. In his policy letter, the minister acknowledges that a new vision is urgently needed, now that partners in the Global South wish to collaborate on an equal footing in areas such as security, migration, and trade, whilst ODA budgets are shrinking worldwide and progress towards the SDGs is stagnating. The advice will address four specific topics: the purpose of development cooperation, democracy and the rule of law, the role of the EU, and global governance.
The Advisory Council is actively seeking input: who should be consulted, what should be read, and what questions should the Council ask that the minister himself is not asking? Partos is keen to make an active contribution to this. Development cooperation organisations (and their Southern partners) are an important voice when discussing the future of development cooperation. As part of the New Coalitions for International Cooperation project, we are launching a consultation with members and their Southern partners. It is precisely their experiences and perspectives that are essential to the discussion on the future of international cooperation. Members will be contacted regarding this.
Time for action
The three developments outlined above show that development cooperation is at a tipping point. The current system is under pressure, but at the same time, increasingly concrete proposals for a fairer alternative are emerging. The three initiatives described here — the Beyond Aid manifesto, the OECD guidelines for locally driven development and the AIV request for advice — all point in the same direction: the current system is no longer sustainable and calls for genuine systemic change.
For Partos and its members, this presents a clear mandate. It is not simply a matter of reacting to changes, but of actively helping to shape the future and taking the lead in the transition. By actively involving both members and Southern partners in the consultation for the AIV, by translating the OECD guidelines into concrete practice in the Netherlands, and by embracing the Beyond Aid manifesto as a guiding principle, the Partos network can play a key role in shaping a fairer and more effective development system.
The building blocks are in place. Now is the time to build on them.