Economic decline following the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led traditional OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors to decrease their humanitarian assistance to the Global South. Of growing importance within the humanitarian field are emerging donors, many of whom are not part of the OECD DAC and whose approaches to assistance differ methodologically and conceptually from those of traditional donors. This policy brief discusses emerging donor engagement in several key Global South countries, noting their financial contributions, methodological approaches and aid priorities.

Brief Points

As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, major OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members are redistributing funds in their national budgets in ways that limit humanitarian assistance to the Global South.

Over the past two decades, assistance to the Global South from emerging donors has grown.

Assistance from emerging donors, who are outside of the OECD’s DAC, is often bilateral as part of a larger foreign policy agenda or is funded through private donations.

Emerging donors offer aid without normative conditionalities, prioritising state sovereignty, and they frame their aid in opposition to the liberal peacebuilding and aid agendas.

Emerging donors’ assistance to the Global South has decreased since 2020, though it has not been impacted significantly by the Ukraine war.

Source: Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)