OECDDACs

OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), commonly abbreviated as OECD-DAC, is the Development Assistance Committee within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It serves as the principal international forum for coordinating development policy among donor governments, multilateral institutions, and partner actors, and it shapes conventions around official development assistance (ODA).

Key functions of the DAC include defining what counts as ODA, collecting and publishing aid statistics, and conducting policy dialogues and peer reviews of member policies to promote effectiveness, transparency, and coherence in development spending. The DAC also promotes aid effectiveness through adherence to international frameworks such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and subsequent agreements, and it engages in workstreams on financing, humanitarian assistance, and development finance.

History shows that the DAC was established in 1960 to coordinate development assistance among OECD members in the postwar era. Over the decades, its role expanded to address aid effectiveness, development finance, and policy coherence for development. It has influenced international norms for aid delivery and measurement, including statistical standards and reporting practices.

Membership and governance: The DAC is part of the OECD and comprises donor governments and, in some cases, observer or partner economies. It operates by consensus and is supported by a dedicated Secretariat within the OECD's Development Co-operation Directorate, which coordinates its work and publishes data and analyses.

Data, standards, and impact: The DAC defines ODA, compiles internationally comparable data on aid flows, and produces the OECD International Development Statistics. Its work informs national aid budgets, donor coordination, and international development policy. Critics note limitations in data coverage and the evolving nature of aid modalities, but the DAC continues to update standards to reflect changing development finance.