Signature Concepts / Circular Cooperation
Circular Cooperation.
Partners as equals, beyond donor and recipient.
The idea. Circular Cooperation breaks with the logic of "donor" and "recipient". It is based on reciprocity and joint decision-making: objectives set together, governance shared, and a recognition that knowledge exists in every society. Every partner has something to contribute and something to learn, and dignity, mutuality and power sit at the centre of how partnerships are designed.
It complements, rather than replaces, South–South, triangular and North–South cooperation, and it applies at every scale: between North and South, within the South and within the North, inside countries, and in the design of individual projects.
Where it stands. GCI set out the approach in Circular Cooperation: Evolving international partnerships for the 21st century (2025). The national cooperation agencies of Colombia, Chile and Uruguay have adopted it. We are now developing practical guidance on making projects more circular, and a vision of what international cooperation could look like by 2035.
