The uncomfortable truth is that, since then, very few of the rich world’s governments have met the goal of funnelling 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product in aid to the poor world, and traditional aid flows have plateaued in recent years at about $135bn annually, according to the OECD.
“One reason that Addis is not going to talk very much about aid is that there is not very much to say,” says Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Global Development.