On 12-13 October 2017, APN Board Members Hassan Al Jaajaa and Razan Zuayter participated in the Fifth World Council of the CSO Partnership on Development Effectiveness (CPDE) in Berlin. During the meetings, the Council’s new strategies were discussed and two new presidents were elected. The meetings also saw the addition of a new Working Group on wars and conflicts to the four other working groups including South-South Cooperation, Private Sector, and Development Effectiveness.

Zuayter intervened stating that the CPDE should reevaluate aid effectiveness in times of war and occupation, whereby aid often perpetuates conflict. Zuayter noted the incompetence of aid given to the Palestinian Authority, 78 percent of which benefits the Israeli economy through taxes, funding 30 percent of the cost of occupation. Zuayter also noted that working on aid for Syrian refugees has become a source of employment for many international organizations, and suggested that case studies from affected communities should be conducted.