Governance has become one of those oft-brandished terms that are ubiquitous in the field of international relations and development co-operation. It is in common use among academics, experts, members of civil society, international and bilateral organisations, politicians, etc. Used and abused by so many, the word has become hard to define. The end of the cold war and the early ninetiess' major development reforms saw a rise in its good governance incarnation. Synonymous with managerial reforms, the concept has gone the way of those policies. The French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has sought to set forth an original vision,prodding beyond the well-rehearsed language and problems of development circles and international bodies. Recent years have seen the proliferation of decidely innovative governance strategies. Thus, in 2006, France adopted its own specific strategy, as did most of its European partners. The renewal of the debate relies on a powerful consensus for the leaving behind of the managerial approach in favour of an integrated one and promotion of the dimension and diverse levels of governance (from the local to the global). Diaologue, pragmatism and capacity development at local level have supplanted the promotion of a standardised model.