Between October 2024 and June 2026, ODI Global is hosting a groundbreaking series of dialogues to co-create a new vision for Northern bilateral donorship – one that meets the challenges and complexities of the 21st century.

This second dialogue, held in Brussels in February 2025, brought together over 40 leading thinkers and practitioners from donor agencies, multilateral organisations, research institutes and civil society groups. Together, they tackled a provocative question:

In this moment of disruption, how can we catalyse the long-overdue changes needed in development cooperation?

This publication summarises the conversations and ideas shared, offering a snapshot of the shifts in mindset, emerging tensions, and new possibilities that defined the dialogue. From surprising scepticism about aid’s future—voiced by both Northern taxpayers and Southern civil society actors—to the urgent need for a new development paradigm, the dialogue laid bare a crucial truth: defending the status quo is no longer enough.

If we only seek to protect the aid system of the past, we risk losing the opportunity to shape the one we need for the future.

Explore the full summary to understand what was discussed, where participants diverged, and where a shared vision may begin to take root.

Report by the Overseas Development Institute