ODA起源于冷战，其时经合组织发展援助委员会每年拿出约600亿美元资金（苏联毫无疑问可以与之匹敌 ） ， 接受国被称为“后进国家 ” 、 “发展中国家 ” 、 “南方国家 ” ， 最近则被称为“新兴国家 ” 。
Since it originated during the Cold War, when members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee spent roughly $60 billion annually (an amount that the Soviet Union undoubtedly matched), recipient countries have been called “backward,” “developing,” “southern,” and, lately, “emerging.”