The Origins Of Official Development Assistance

Not only did the Second World War give rise to the present international human rights framework but it also provided the impetus for decades of development activities.

Following the devastation of the War, development thinking addressed two distinct areas: reconstruction of the industrialized countries of Europe and Japan, and the creation of markets in the soon-to-be decolonized countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

The Marshall Plan that poured huge resources into the re-building of Europe soon became the model for the provision of development assistance - international aid. The UN eventually set a target of .7% of the gross domestic product of the countries of the "First World" for aid to assist "Third World" countries. Only some of the Nordic countries have ever reached this target.