Having mobilized immense resources for and intervened significantly in most aspects of its developing member countries’ (DMCs) economies and policies, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)has been purported to be the region’s leading development financial institution for poverty eradication. In its recent public perception survey, it takes pride for being perceived as an institution that “continues to have a positive impact on the lives of the poor in the Asia and Pacific region” as it “helps

Bangkok, Thailand – Resources allocated for development should be used effectively to achieve internationally-agreed sustainable development goals (SDGs). This was the message that members of the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) echoed loud and clear during their self-organized side event at the Asia Pacific People’s Forum on Sustainable Development (APPFSD). These resources (called Official Development Assistance (ODA) or simply ‘aid’ allocated by governments for poverty eradication in developing countries) will only fulfil its purpose

At its recent Senior Level Meeting (SLM), the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC)1 reviewed progress and charted a course on how to advance effective development cooperation (EDC). The result: a mixed picture. On the one hand, there is significant progress in terms of quality, inclusivity and use of SDGs in developing country and development partners’ planning. The Global Partnership also instituted a new way of cooperating among stakeholders, including the expansion of leadership

TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Political Overview The Changing Faces of Aid: Encouraging Global Justice or Buttressing Inequalities? The Reality of Aid Network International Coordinating Committee II. ODA and Security Rising Militarism: Implications for Development Aid and Cooperation in Asia Pacific The Reality of Aid – Asia Pacific Aiding Militarization: Role of South Korea’s ODA in “Peacekeeping” Activities in Asia Youngah Lee, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy – South Korea Militarization of Palestinian Aid Nora Lester

Ending poverty and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need dedicated resources to support economic, environmental, and social investments that benefit the poorest people. Current narratives and trends in ODA, however, risk undermining the unique contribution that ODA can make to the elimination of poverty and inequality in developing countries.The idea that ODA must be used to ‘’leverage’’ private finance and investment for development is gaining increasing traction among many bilateral donors and