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J. Brian Atwood is an expert, among other things, in international development, foreign aid, and United Nations peacekeeping operations. He was an administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during the Presidency of William Clinton, and is currently responsible for the Presidency of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).

One of the most important events of 2011 in the field of international development cooperation was the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, in Busan, South Korea, from November 29 till December 1st. 

Although it is early to take stock of this meeting, since several of the Busan commitments will be implemented throughout the year, the first steps point toward a new paradigm of development; whose ultimate goal is the full realization of the Millennium Development Goals.

AMEXCID.- What are the contributions of Busan to the promotion of international development and the reduction of global poverty?

B.A.- The Busan Forum, which was attended by delegated from 160 countries and civil society organizations, created a broader and deeper partnership in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and development in general. The final document (Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co‐operation), was approved by everyone and contains commitments to the principles which, according to evidence, produce results. This historic document will be used by partners in development to promote better cooperation and coordination in their countries, which have their own development strategies. Another important result of the Busan Forum is the enhanced political will in favor of development cooperation due to the high level of the participating delegations and increased international interest.

AMEXCID.- How was it possible to include, for the first time, important emerging donors, like China and Brazil, and what is the relevance of this?

B.A.- I think that the final Busan document showed respect for South-South cooperation and its special circumstances. Although these countries are still confronted to significant poverty, they have become new providers of assistance to help other developing countries. We asked them to share certain common principles, and they did so because they listened to the voices of their partners in the developing world.

AMEXCID.- What was the role played by the CAD and Mexico in this negotiation?

/cms/uploads/image/file/165064/busan.jpgB.A.- I am not exaggerating when I say that Mexico played a crucial role in these negotiations. The Mexican diplomat who served as Sherpa, Gerardo Bracho, was an observer in the CAD where he help us understand the special position of countries like Mexico and China, and he played an important role to convince emerging economies that this was not a "trap" to compensate for potential reductions in Official Development Assistance (ODA), but rather a genuine effort to reduce poverty.

AMEXCID.- What are the challenges confronting "international development cooperation"?

B.A.- Poverty is the fundamental challenge, which has been exacerbated by the international financial crisis, climate change and conflicts. In Busan, countries from around the world agreed on this. This was only the beginning. However, one can say that Busan has given us hope. In Busan we found leadership from various places, but the voices of developing countries and civil society were heard very clearly. Now we must pay attention to their call for accountability, transparency and mutual accountability for development results.