This Briefing Paper focuses upon the aid performance of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The Paper concludes that whilst a modestly expanded OPEC aid programme is likely to be useful, it is merely one part of a larger exercise of recycling OPEC surpluses to non-oil developing countries (LDCs). It argues that with the full implications of recent oil price increases and the modest nature of offsetting OPEC aid becoming clearer, there is considerable potential for tension between OPEC and non-oil LDCs, especially those LDCs which receive little or no OPEC aid.