The Commitment to Development Index 2007 - Launch Briefing

The Commitment to Development Index (produced annually since 2003 by the Washington-based Center for Global Development) ranks the policies of 21 donor nations in terms of their compatibility or coherence with the goal of promoting development in the Global South. In the 2006 CDI, the UK came twelfth out of 21 countries, scoring best on investment and worst on security. The 2007 Index will be launched on 10 October.

Aid matters, and is part of the Index, but the scope of the ranking extends beyond aid to include policies relating to trade, investment, migration, the environment, security and technology. The Index is intended to stimulate debate about policies, and ultimately to lead governments in the developed world to make their policies more coherent around development objectives. It poses challenging questions for governments about priorities and the best ways to ensure cross-departmental working.

This briefing on the day of the launch of the 2007 Commitment to Development Index provided an opportunity to discuss the 2007 results with the Index designers and key figures from the UK and international policy arenas.