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Report · June 2025

Circular cooperation

Evolving international partnerships for the 21st century

Jonathan Glennie

Summary.

This report introduces Circular Cooperation as an innovative model of international collaboration, adapted to the interconnected challenges of today's world. It breaks with the traditional donor and recipient logic of vertical, horizontal and triangular cooperation, and promotes an approach based on shared responsibility, mutual respect and the co-creation of solutions.

It proposes a system in which all countries, regardless of their level of development, contribute and benefit. Circular Cooperation shares its fundamental principles with Global Public Investment: all contribute, all benefit, all decide.

The national cooperation agencies of Colombia, Chile and Uruguay have since adopted the approach.

How to cite

Glennie, J. (2025). Circular cooperation: Evolving international partnerships for the 21st century. Bogotá: Global Cooperation Institute.

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