Short Abstract

This panel explores how Global South countries are responding to aid retrenchment by reimagining development cooperation, advancing South-South partnerships, and reclaiming agency to forge more equitable, inclusive, and mutually beneficial mechanisms of engagement in a post-aid era.

Description

Recent calls for equitable partnerships, decoloniality, and inclusivity reflect a recognition of the need to reimagine how development is conceptualised and practiced. Despite decades of reform discourse, the Global South continue to face entrenched inequalities, and the rules of engagement in international development cooperation remain largely shaped by the historically advantaged and ideologically dominant North. This raises the question of whether discourses on partnership and decoloniality mark genuine reform or simply re-echo development buzzwords destined to fade.

The retrenchment of aid from traditional donors - including the U.S. and U.K. - alongside the growing engagement of emerging donors such as China and Gulf states signals a profound shift in the global development architecture and geopolitical landscape. For instance, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, with its ambition to diversify beyond oil, is reshaping the country’s global investment and aid strategies, offering new (if contested) models of partnership. These changes may present opportunities for the Global South to reclaim agency through new forms of South-South cooperation, regional integration, and resource nationalisation. The African Continental Free Trade Area exemplifies such efforts to “look within” and promote collective self-reliance.

This panel explores how Global South countries are navigating aid cuts and redefining mechanisms of cooperation that re-centre power, voice, and ownership. Key questions include:

●Does South-South cooperation offer viable alternatives to traditional aid?

●How can Southern actors avoid adverse incorporation and build mutually beneficial partnerships?

●What new institutions or mechanisms can promote inclusive, reciprocal, and balanced cooperation that reflects Southern priorities and agency?

This Panel has 3 pending paper proposals.
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