DCF was founded as a new instrument of a strengthened Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This was one of the outcomes of the 2005 UN Summit which had focused on reform and strengthening of the UN.  

Development cooperation and development effectiveness have been an important thematic focus for Civil Society Groups following Financing for Development (FfD) issues, not least because of their linkages to Chapter IV of the Monterrey Consensus, “International Financial and Technical Cooperation for Development.” In addressing this Chapter of the Consensus, the Civil Society Recommendations to the Doha Review Conference of December 2008 had called for “overcoming donor dominance in the development discourse and norm-setting”, and had outlined a role for the DCF in these terms: “The Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) must be mandated to address development strategies, policies and financing of development cooperation, as well as promoting coherence between the activities of the various development partners. This forum should receive the necessary political, institutional and financial support to enable it to convene the relevant development actors, including the new official development assistance providers, for discussions on fundamental issues of development cooperation. Governments and civil society from the North and the South should be equally represented”. 

The first Forum held in July 2008 established the DCF as the focal point within the UN system for global dialogue and policy review on the effectiveness and coherence of international development cooperation. This was acknowledged in the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development (para46). 

The second Development Cooperation Forum will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York from 29 to 30 June, 2010 during the Annual High-level segment of ECOSOC. It will focus on a series of inter-related themes and activities aimed at promoting national development and the achievement of the MDGs in three areas: (i) mutual accountability and aid transparency; (ii) South-South and triangular cooperation; and (iii) aid policy coherence. The idea is to move countries away from aid dependence to more long-term, sustainable sources of development financing. A special focus will be given to issues of quality and impact of aid in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

In terms of Civil Society engagement with the DCF process, there are, currently, two levels of involvement. The first is the formal Advisory Group of the DCF, which was established by the Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, and comprised of UN agencies, government and civil society representatives.  ActionAid and CIVICUS were selected by UNDESA to serve as the CSO representatives on this Advisory Group. The second is a Consultative Group which functions in an informal consultative capacity, with DCF partners. Members of the Consultative Group include ActionAid, CIVICUS, the Women’s Working Group (WWG) on FfD, and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), while the North-South Institute participates as an observer.

A first preparatory High Level Symposium for the Forum took place in Vienna, Austria on 12 and 13 November 2009. The meeting reaffirmed the recommendations of the 2008 DCF and the Doha Review Conference, and “underscored the need to move towards more transparent and accountable development cooperation. [It] recommended that the 2010 DCF should play a key role to in enhancing mutual accountability and aid transparency. The DCF would thereby support stakeholders in building stronger partnerships, achieving more effective development results and working towards the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.” For the full Report of the Vienna Symposium, click here.