Publications of the FoundationUnderstanding middle powers in development cooperation
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  • As the international order fragments and traditional donors retreat, a new cohort of actors is reshaping global development cooperation. This paper examines middle powers—spanning OECD nations and emerging economies—as increasingly vital architects of a more equitable and resilient development system. Drawing on their agility, coalition-building capacity, and legitimacy as bridge-builders between North and South, middle powers are filling leadership vacuums left by geopolitical polarization and declining aid flows. Through diverse institutional models, pragmatic multilateralism, and commitments to country ownership and inclusive governance, they are driving innovation in development finance, championing reforms to the UN and Bretton Woods institutions, and forging new partnerships that transcend traditional donor-recipient dynamics.