Roundtable “The Challenges of Development Aid”

Development aid addresses challenges that increasingly transcend national borders: food, climate, health and migration crises are closely interconnected and directly affect us all. It can help meet the needs of vulnerable populations, serve shared interests and contribute to building lasting relationships between territories.

This roundtable brings together three speakers with complementary experiences to offer different perspectives on development aid, its outcomes, limitations and the changes needed for the future. First-hand experiences from the field, particularly in Africa and Haiti, will enrich the discussion and help identify concrete ways forward.

The aim of the discussion is to move beyond partisan or polarised approaches, in order to gain a better understanding of the challenges surrounding development aid and to consider constructive forms of engagement and action. Experts, practitioners and people directly affected will share and compare their experiences and perspectives.

The discussion will explore, in particular, the role and effectiveness of development aid, its limitations and criticisms, how it is perceived by beneficiaries, the economic, political and ethical issues it raises, and its future direction.