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North Stars for Northern Donors in a Post-Aid World: moving from dialogue to decisions

  • Publication | 2026
Global Food and Nutrition Security

How should Northern donors evolve over the next decade?

Over 18 months, ODI Global convened the Donors in a Post-Aid World dialogue series: five frank, future-facing conversations with bilateral DAC members, thinkers, activists and government officials from the Global North and South.  Launched before US aid cuts sent the sector into a tailspin, the series anticipated many of the questions now confronting donor governments about their purpose, legitimacy and future.

This publication is the final product of those dialogues.  Drawing on events held between October 2024 and May 2026, the brief presents the more ambitious takeaways from the series as a set of “North Stars” to orient Northern donors towards their next phase.

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These propositions offer a bold but achievable vision for how donor governments can adapt to a changing geography of power and poverty, rebuild trust in publicly funded international cooperation, and remain anchored in core values while responding to new geopolitical realities.

At a time when the system's traditional foundations are shifting fast, these North Stars offer far-reaching propositions for governments and institutions seeking to move beyond the standard templates of the post-war aid system and seize this disruptive moment to create a more purposeful, relevant, fairer and effective system of global cooperation.

Resources
More information and links
Authors
Nilima Gulrajani
Publisher
ODI Global
Geographic coverageGlobal
Available from

09 Jul 2026

Knowledge service | MetadataGlobal Food and Nutrition Security | Food crises and food and nutrition security
Digital Europa Thesaurus (DET)policymakingaid systemaid policygovernancehumanitarian aiddevelopment aid
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