Executive Summary

This publication outlines a broader approach to policy coherence for development (PCD), as called for by the OECD Strategy on Development. The world has changed dramatically since the early 1990s, when the concept of PCD first emerged in discussions among donors. At that time, OECD countries were the drivers of the world economy and their policies impacted strongly on the prospects for developing and lower-income countries. Today, the global economic centre has shifted towards the south and the east, with non-OECD members being the main sources of economic growth. This, in turn, has moved the policy coherence debate away from an emphasis on the negative impacts of non-aid policies (“do no harm”) towards more proactive, synergistic approaches.