The Australia’s International Development Policy - for a peaceful, stable and prosperous indo-pacific (2023) presents a long-term vision for how Australia's development program will meet the critical needs of its partners, while also supporting Australia’s national interests in the region. The first two Chapters of the Policy reflect the foundations for the development program: Chapter 1 outlines the interests and values that inform the engagement; Chapter 2 discusses the complex international environment to which the response is directed. The final three Chapters of the Policy outline Australia’s new approach to international development: Chapter 3 showcases the links between development program and Australia’s values, interests, and enduring connections to the region; Chapter 4 outlines what the object of the development program is, and the four focus areas of work. Chapter 5 discusses the implementation of the development program. The general objective of Australia’s development program is to advance a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The approach encompasses supporting partners to: build effective, accountable states that drive their own development; enhance state and community resilience to external pressures and shocks; connect with Australia and regional architecture; generate collective action on global challenges that impact us and our region. Key commitments are: build more genuine and respectful partnerships, including by refreshing our approach to country and regional plans; anchor our approach in our strengths, including by embedding the perspectives of First Nations Australians in our development efforts; support all people to fulfill their potential, including through new international strategies for gender equality, and disability equity and rights; respond to the calls of our region and evidence of the accelerating climate crisis by increasing our climate investments and better addressing climate risks; support local leadership and local actors, including through a new Civil Society Partnerships Fund; develop a new humanitarian strategy to ensure we deliver results for people affected by crises, help reduce need, and build resilience; use more innovative development financing to expand available funding.; deliver an improved performance and delivery system; step up our focus on evaluation, and pilot impact assessments and real-time reviews; create a new online portal to provide access to key data and information about our programs; enhance accountability for our results, including through an annual Performance of Australian Development Cooperation Report; extend our reporting to relevant whole-of-government Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA activities to better capture Australia’s positive development impact; invest in our development capability to ensure more effective outcomes from our programs; improve the integration of development with other tools of statecraft, including through whole-of-government governance structures for development.
Australia · 2023-08-01