Foreword by the Secretary-General

The world has seen unprecedented welfare gains in the last 50 years. The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the world’s principal donor forum, has contributed to these gains. It was a major force behind the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which continue to guide the development community. It enshrined the ownership principle as a central tenet of donor policy, allowing developing countries to take the lead in defining and implementing their own development strategies. It has successfully encouraged donor countries to provide more, and more effective aid. Thanks to these efforts, official development assistance reached a record level of USD 120.5 billion in 2008.