On the eve of my departure on retirement after some 33 years of work in the service of the OECD Development Assistance Committee -- since 1975 as DCD Director -- I naturally ask myself: What was done over all these years and was it worth it? Rather than burdening the system with subjective impressions and reminiscences, I felt that it would be more sensible for me to leave behind an objective, matter of fact account of the DAC's activities and the related institutional and policy developments. This may even be of some use for the coming. | GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OCDE GD 94 67 THE STORY OF OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE AND THE DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION DIRECTORATE IN DATES NAMES AND FIGURES by Helmut FÜHRER ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Paris 1996 014644 COMPLETE DOCUMENT AVAILABLE ON OLIS IN ITS ORIGINAL FORMAT This paper was prepared by Mr. Helmut Führer Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate from 1975 to 1993. It is made available on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. Copyright OECD 1994 2 THE STORY OF ODA A HISTORY OF DAC DCD IN DATES NAMES AND FIGURES On the eve of my departure on retirement after some 33 years of work in the service of the OECD Development Assistance Committee -- since 1975 as DCD Director -- I naturally ask myself What was done over all these years and was it worth it Rather than burdening the system with subjective impressions and reminiscences I felt that it would be more sensible for me to leave behind an objective matter of fact account of the DAC s activities and the related institutional and policy developments. This may even be of some use for the coming generation of DAC Delegates and DCD staff. This factual account also gave me an opportunity to name the names of at least some of the many people who contributed to DAC - in Delegations and in the Secretariat in particular the Chairmen James Riddleberger 1961-62 Williard Thorp 1963-66 Ed Martin 1967-73 Maurice Williams 1974-78 John Lewis 1979-81 RudPoats 1982-85 Joe Wheeler 1986-90 and Ray Love from 1991 and my predecessors as Directors Sherwood Fine 1961-65 Bill Parsons 1966-69 and André Vincent 1969-75 and Richard Carey Deputy Director since 1980. I began this chronology some ten years ago for a contribution to the German Handbuch der Finanzwissenschaften. Much further work was done in connection with the DAC Review of Twenty-Five Years of Development Co-operation in 1985 with subsequent updating. This account
