Development policy in Belgium

Abstract Understanding Belgium’s development policy is pivotal to grasping the country’s international relations, particularly within the framework of multilateralism and in the context of its historical colonial ties with Central Africa. This policy focuses on a select group of partner countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, and provides direct support, as well as support through accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and contributions to international organizations. The country’s development policy landscape involves various stakeholders, most notably the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation (Enabel). The legal framework has undergone reforms, with the 1999 law establishing objectives and priority sectors, as well as separating the design, implementation, and evaluation stages of policies. Despite being a significant aspect of Belgium’s foreign policy, the country’s development policy has received limited academic attention. Key issues explored in the literature include the political dimensions of partner and sector selection, aid conditionality, accountability mechanisms, and global agendas such as aid effectiveness, policy coherence, and financing development. Proposed areas for future research include bilateral cooperation dynamics, the evolving role of indirect actors such as NGOs and universities, the growing involvement of the private sector, and the decolonization of development policy.