Analysing European Union Institutions’ Flows for Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD)

This report analyses the first round of Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) data from European Union (EU) Institutions.

The EU is a key stakeholder in the development of TOSSD, as Co-Chair of the International TOSSD Task Force, and in the promotion of this as an essential metric in the implementation of Agenda 2030. It is our hope that this paper’s detailed examination of the scope of what has been reported by the EU Institutions identifies trends and issues arising from the first reporting round for TOSSD, which can be addressed going forward.

It is timely to acknowledge the level of transparency in the proceedings of the TOSSD Task Force, which has been open to comments and suggestions since its inception, and has recently seated CSO representatives as observers. This transparency has put into practical effect the notion that data validation can, to some extent, be entrusted to third parties provided that the relevant information is available to all interested stakeholders on a timely basis.

Good norms, such as good reporting instructions, can help steer the development agenda in the right direction for the benefit of the communities of the Global South.

Notes:

This report further amplifies the messages set forth in the comprehensive review of TOSSD published in March 2021, Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD): Game changer or mirage? Both publications have resulted from joint efforts by ActionAid, Oxfam, and AidWatch Canada: given their long term interest in development policies, it was logical for them to look carefully at the implementation of a new metric such as TOSSD, which seeks to become the preeminent statistical measure for capturing all public and publicly leveraged resources in support of the realization of Agenda 2030 in Partner Countries.