The fourth High Level Forum on aid effectiveness (HLF-4) will be a milestone for international development and particularly for the collective efforts over more than a decade by developing countries, donors and many other development stakeholders to implement an agreed international framework to improve the quality of aid.

This Background Note outlines the changing global development context and proceeds to discuss the results to date in implementing the aid effectiveness (AE) agenda. The paper then moves on to identify major remaining challenges in implementing the aid effectiveness agenda and sets out key issues ‘beyond aid’ which require discussion in Busan. Finally, the paper details the six suggested action areas for Busan:

• Promote differentiated country treatment and South-South cooperation
• Model a new compact on transparency
• Devise a common approach to joint risk management
• Promote independent facilitation, mediation and peer review mechanisms
• Identify post-Busan monitoring areas
• Integrate aid effectiveness principles and climate change.