IDRC — The Beginnings

The 1967 celebrations surrounding Canada’s centenary as a nation—particularly Montréal’s Expo 67 and its theme of Man and His World—gave this country greater confidence about its place in the international community. It was with this spirit of internationalism that the Right Hon. Lester B. Pearson proposed that Canada establish a research centre for international development, “a new instrument concentrating more attention and resources on applying technology to the solution of … economic and social problems on a global basis.”

The government subsequently set up a steering committee to consider this proposal. Chaired by Maurice Strong, then president of the Canadian International Development Agency, the committee demonstrated that the proposed centre would provide the forward-thinking approaches to international challenges that could not be addressed by way of more conventional programs. After consulting with institutions and individuals in Canada and abroad, the steering committee concluded: “This is an idea whose time has come.” The committee’s recommendations became the foundation for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

IDRC was created by an Act of the Canadian Parliament in May 1970.  The IDRC Act received all-party support and was passed unanimously by the House of Commons and the Senate. The Act was proposed by the Hon. Mitchell Sharp, Secretary of State for External Affairs, and supported by the Hon. Gordon Fairweather on behalf of the Official Opposition.  IDRC was established as a Crown corporation with an innovative international dimension. The membership of the Board of Governors was an important part of the Centre’s global scope: while the chair and 11 of the 21 members of the Board of Governors were to be Canadian, the remaining positions were to be occupied by non-Canadians, ensuring that the perspective and experience of developing countries would be well represented.

Under the leadership of David Hopper, IDRC set a course that recognized the need for a partnership between North and South in the development process. The Centre also led the way in helping to build research capabilities through projects that were not only located in developing countries, but also carried out by local researchers.

Please refer to IDRC — A Brief History for an overview of the Centre’s history.

For further information on IDRC’s formative years, please consult our collection of selected historical documents.

• Formative years
  Important IDRC documentation from 1967-1970.

• IDRC's early years
  Documentation from 1970-1973.

• Projects and progress reports
  Early Annual Reports and projects, and special reports on IDRC's 10th, 20th, and 30th anniversaries.

• Biographies
  

• Welcome to the IDRC Alumni Web Site
  The IDRC Alumni provides opportunities for former IDRC employees to maintain personal and professional links, and supports continuing dialogue on development issues.