Aligning International Education Financing: What Have We Learned over the Past Twenty Years?

Twenty years after the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, to what extent are international education financing flows truly aligned with national systems? Drawing on a retrospective study conducted by IIEP-UNESCO, AFD, and GPE, this publication offers a nuanced assessment. The principles of alignment are widely recognized, yet their practical implementation remains limited, in a landscape marked by growing fragmentation of interventions and a contraction of aid. Drawing on data covering the period 2005–2023, interviews, and country case studies, this work analyses the political, institutional, and organizational factors that account for this gap. It presents the eight dimensions of alignment, covering the entire public expenditure cycle, and examines the contributions of using national systems to institutional strengthening and financing sustainability. The publication puts forward four priorities to make their progressive use the norm: adapting instruments and managing risks, strengthening national incentives, transforming international incentives, and consolidating mutual accountability.