Latvia has become the 33rd member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the leading international forum for bilateral providers of development co-operation.
Latvia has been a member of the OECD since 2016. Its accession to the DAC brings another OECD member into the committee following the accession of Estonia in July 2023, contributing to the DAC's global relevance and influence.
Significant milestones in Latvia's development co-operation include the adoption of a Law on International Assistance in 2008 and the creation of a Development Co-operation Agency in 2022. Latvia's development co-operation policy aims to promote sustainable development and the eradication of poverty, the rule of law and good governance in developing countries, especially in the European Union's (EU) Eastern Partnership countries and Central Asian partner countries, with a nascent development co-operation with African countries. Latvia's development co-operation activities reflect the country's recent success in democratic transition, encompassing modern and smart governance solutions, digitalisation, socio-economic change and gender equality.
Between 2016 and 2021, Latvia's annual official development assistance (ODA) increased from USD 38.2 million, representing 0.11% of Gross National Income (GNI), to USD 47.7 million, or 0.12% of GNI, before a significant increase to USD 144.40 million, or 0.36% of GNI in 2022, and stabilising at 140.93 million in 2023, or 0.34% of GNI. High ODA levels in 2022 and 2023 are mostly a result of Latvia's strong humanitarian and development support for Ukraine and its support to Ukrainian refugees in the wake of Russia's continuing war of aggression.
Half of Latvia's ODA is multilateral, provided largely through core and flexible funding, allowing organisations to allocate funding to evolving priorities. The majority of Latvia's multilateral assistance is directed toward fulfilling its commitments to the European Union, the World Bank, and United Nations entities. Following the UN Secretariat, the top recipients are the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, UN Peacekeeping Operations, World Health Organisation, UN Children's Fund and UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
