Document(s) 5 of 7

The 2004 Speech from the Throne, and Prime Minister Paul Martin’s response, stated that the Canadian government knows it is time “… to devote no less than 5% of [Canada’s] research and development investment to a knowledge-based approach to development assistance for less fortunate countries” and to “… work with the research community to identify additional steps … to bring the benefits of [Canada’s] research and development to bear on the challenges faced by the developing world …”

As other Canadian actors move to align their research efforts with the rationale and mission that IDRC had to itself for three decades, IDRC can ensure that those most affected by the problems of development remain full collaborators in Canada’s increased commitment to mainstream research for development.

IDRC is uniquely placed to facilitate Canada’s support for research that will make a difference in the lives of Canadians only if this research can be undertaken in conjunction with scientists working in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the planet. IDRC is actively mediating — through collaborations — a new wave of activity to explore what aspects of the Canadian granting councils’ domestic mandates might align with IDRC’s international program.

Changes in traditional aid practice need IDRC’s vision for knowledgebased development.We return to Lester Pearson: “… aid-providers … should be able to expect periodic consultations in matters of economic policy central to growth, fulfillment of understandings with respect to economic performance, and efficient use of aid funds. Recipients … should be entitled to a prompt and reasonably steady aid flow at the level agreed and allocation of additional aid according to explicit criteria emphasizing economic performance.”

With donors ready to accept that “development must come from within,” the implications are clear — donors will expect recipient governments to provide coherent, evidence-based strategic plans and programs, at ministerial and national levels. This demands a capacity for policy formulation that, in turn, requires individuals and institutions to undertake critical research in the national interest and with a focus on the supply and distribution of public goods.

Two IDRC projects in Africa demonstrate the way that successful development depends on access to and the application of knowledge (see boxes “A road map to better health” [below] and “Capacity building in Africa”).

Next: A Shared Vision

Document(s) 5 of 7