Development cooperation at a crossroads: Dead end or new horizons?

International Symposium
8 December 2006
Basel, Switzerland

Background

Now a huge debate is under way on the role of development cooperation and development policy. What is the position of such activities in this changing world? The aim of development cooperation is to free disadvantaged countries, regions and population groups from their poverty. The huge gap between ambition and reality is unmistakable. For some, the “development” project is a write-off, and development aid is even considered to help perpetuate poverty. Developing countries, it is said, should help themselves. For others, private and state aid has achieved a lot. Globalization is said to have prevented progress from making greater steps forward. The need for reform then consists in adapting the rules of the global economy and the instruments of international cooperation in the new landscape.

There is a fundamental need to learn from experience. With this symposium, the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development is seeking to consider what lessons can be learned from previous successes and failures. Does development cooperation have a future in the 21st century? If so, what kind of development cooperation and development policy should we be talking about? And also, why has so little been learned from our experiences? Well-known and recognized personalities from all over the world will examine this topic from a wide variety of political and personal perspectives.