Romania’s associate member status in the OECD Development Assistance Committee marked with Paris ceremony

A ceremony was organized in Paris on Wednesday, January 28, to mark Romania's associate member staus in the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

Established in 1961, the Committee originated from the Development Assistance Group created in 1960 within the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). The committee brings together the main global providers of official development assistance, aiming to promote development cooperation and policies that contribute to sustainable development, poverty reduction, decreasing inequalities, and improving living standards in developing countries.

Nowadays, the body is responsible for coordinating official development assistance granted to developing countries.

Romania’s membership in the body was made official in December. The ceremony was meant to celebrate the achievement.

Romania was represented at the event in Paris by the state secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), Luca Niculescu.

“A beautiful emotion this evening: to see Romania’s flag raised at the OECD. The occasion was a ceremony that marked an important moment: Romania is the first state to obtain associate member status in the OECD Development Assistance Committee, the main international forum that sets standards for development assistance and promotes good practices for poverty reduction and sustainable development,” Niculescu wrote on Facebook.

According to a statement from the MAE, Romania’s accession to the Development Assistance Committee comes as a result of the constant increase in recent years in the volume of official development assistance, as well as the “strengthening of Romania’s profile as a consistent, predictable, and credible donor at the international level.”

“Romania is no longer the state that only waits for support, but a nation strong and mature enough to offer help to those in need. The fact that we are the first country to be accepted as an associate member in this committee shows that international partners view us with trust and respect,” foreign minister Oana Țoiu declared, according to the cited source.

The total value of official development assistance granted by Romania in 2024 reached USD 539.1 million, representing 0.16% of gross national income, the highest level recorded by Romania so far. Official development assistance activities are directed toward ten states in the wider Black Sea region, the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa, with the Republic of Moldova representing Romania’s priority partner.