We are currently living through a moment of reset in international development. The fundamental changes underway are not temporary shifts driven by political cycles; they reflect deeper structural forces that will shape the sector for years to come. As an organization that has worked alongside communities and partners for decades, CODE, the Canadian literacy charity on whose board I serve, is experiencing this shift firsthand.
Around the world, and across the political spectrum, long-standing assumptions about aid, charity, and international cooperation are being questioned. Governments are facing growing fiscal pressures. Voters are asking for clearer evidence of success and greater focus on domestic concerns. Local communities are demanding more agency over their own futures. Together, these forces have converged rapidly, reshaping the development landscape faster than many institutions and organizations, including those of us working within the sector, are prepared, or sometimes willing, to fully acknowledge.
The moment calls for honesty from our sector. The old development model and reliance on government grants is behind us, and we must adapt. That model delivered important gains in the past, but it no longer aligns with today’s social, economic, or political realities or expectations. Pretending otherwise does not serve Canadians, partners abroad, or the integrity of the sector itself.
This reset of development work will inevitably lead to a redistribution of power and credibility in the sector. As funding tightens and scrutiny increases, the influence will shift to whoever can demonstrate results while managing resources responsibly. This creates a window of opportunity, but also risk. Without clear-eyed, deliberate leadership, we risk replacing the existing system with one that is narrower, less inclusive, or harder to hold accountable.
Leadership in moments like this is not about protecting institutions or preserving the status quo. It is about responding honestly to change and making decisions that reflect the world as it is, not how it was.
For Canadians, conversations about international development are often framed as questions of generosity or compassion. But development has never been only about charity. Canada has long benefited, both directly and indirectly, from meaningful global engagement.
Programs that send Canadians abroad, such as Canada’s Volunteer Cooperation Program, have strengthened the global value chain while building skills at home. Participants return with professional experience, cross-cultural fluency, and leadership capacity that prepare them for Canada’s evolving labour market. Likewise, as the COVID pandemic taught us, global crises do not stop at borders and neither do their consequences. During the pandemic, organizations like CODE worked with local partners to help mitigate severe learning loss when schools closed, protecting literacy gains that underpin long-term social and economic stability. Global health and education are not abstract moral concerns; they are matters of shared security and resilience. What happens elsewhere increasingly affects Canadians at home.
For Canada’s charitable sector, this reset brings new implications and expectations. It demands a move away from shorter-term interventions reliant on government grants towards approaches that are more financially disciplined, accountable and have a lasting impact. It means we must be clear about what works, honest about our shortcomings, and deliberate about where limited resources can have the greatest impact. Practicing these changes will allow us to build greater public trust in our industry, because in the new environment credibility is earned through performance.
Across the country, many organizations are already adjusting. They are learning that you can achieve a greater impact through focus rather than scale. Partnerships with local communities and governments are being prioritized. Focusing on measurable outcomes that can be sustained. Making difficult decisions on where efforts should be focused. These changes are challenging and difficult, but they are essential if development and aid work is to remain trusted in our society.
At this moment, many countries and organizations are turning inwards and shirking responsibility. I hope that this is not something that Canada does as well. I know that we are up to the challenge of embracing that responsibility, seizing the moment before us, and being leaders in the new development sector.
Moments of change and reset are naturally uncomfortable. They make us question what we are familiar with and confront hard truths. However, they also create space for renewal and improvement. We can shape a development sector that is more effective, more sustainable, and more aligned with the expectations of the people it serves.
International development will undoubtedly continue. The real question is whether Canada, and its people and organizations, are prepared to lead other like-minded countries and institutions through this reset, to achieve a sector that is more honest, disciplined, localized and impactful. If we do not meet the moment, someone else will.
Brenda Okorogba is a social impact leader and strategist with decades of experience advancing gender equality, education, and inclusive development in Canada and globally. A member of the Order of Canada, she serves on the Board of CODE and has played senior advisory roles shaping Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy.