Why Aid Collapse Is Not the Worst Problem for the UN Development System

For the second time in a generation, official development assistance — as conventionally measured by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — is collapsing.
In the 1990s, ideologically driven development assistance declined after the end of the Cold War. In the 2020s, the major donors have shown a preference for hard power over soft power channelling more funds into defense, at the direct expense of foreign aid. Spending on immigration from conflict-torn states has also drawn funds away from traditional aid budgets.




