Capacity: Helping countries lead

Oxfam America believes donors should provide aid in ways that strengthen the compact between effective governments and active citizens. Aid delivered in these ways supports recipient governments’ efforts to meet the needs of their citizens and helps citizens hold their government accountable. To assist foreign aid in strengthening the state-citizen compact, Oxfam is calling for reforms that let countries know what donors are doing (information), support countries’ own efforts to manage development (capacity), and better respond to country priorities (control).

Donors cannot build local capacity themselves. The capacity of any public sector or civil society depends first and foremost on the incentives for and commitments by people in those countries to invest in their human capital, organizations, and institutions. What donors can do is support these efforts.