ODA Advocacy

 

Canada’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending, which includes all of Canada’s international assistance, has been decreasing as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) for a decade. In addition to this downward trend, Canada’s ODA spending is nearing an all-time low. With less than 10 years to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, growing global vulnerabilities caused by COVID-19, increasing global instability and the ongoing threat of climate change, there is an unprecedented need for Canadian leadership and global solidarity.

In this context, Cooperation Canada is calling for an increase in Canada’s ODA spending. Working with members and advocacy organizations in Canada, we are leading campaign for increased Canadian leadership and solidarity in the world.   

 

 

How we are making the case:  

 

To make the case for investing more in ODA, we are reaching out to key stakeholders to present arguments that demonstrate the potential impact of increased international assistance. To support this work, we have developed The Together Projectwhich is comprised of the key resourcelisted below. We are also creating opportunities for our members and the sector to rally around shared asks and meet with decision-makers. This involves annual hill days where we connect members with parliamentarians and senators to present how better funded and more integrated interventions would achieve healthier, safer, more just societies at home and abroad. We are also meeting regularly with members to inform a coordinated and coherent sector-wide campaign. 

 

 

 

In this Together: A Case for Canada’s Global Engagement  To better equip the sector to advocate for an appropriately funded international assistance portfolio, Cooperation Canada developed an investment case. Working with members and the broader international cooperation community, Cooperation Canada identified how and why ODA contributes to a robust and impactful Canadian foreign policy agenda, spanning across social, economic and environmental areas of impact.

 

Together for Impact  These investment cases support the broader In this Together case by highlighting the unique value of specific areas of intervention, as well as the compounded benefits of integrated approaches.  

We encourage our members and others to use The Together Project cases to prepare arguments for a meeting with a decision-maker, find evidence to support your public communications materials or share with a key influencer who is interested in supporting the sector’s goals.