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Development aid to slow
Development aid from OECD donor countries totalled $129 billion in 2010, the highest level ever, and an increase of 6.5% over 2009. But despite this record, the 2010 figures confirm that some donors are not meeting internationally agreed commitments.
In terms of the amount of aid, the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan were the largest donors, while the EU-based members of the OECD donor group, the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), provided a combined total of $70.2 billion, or some 54% of the overall total.
However, total bilateral aid from OECD-DAC donors represents about 0.32% of their combined gross national income (GNI). Only Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden exceeded the United Nations recommended development aid target of 0.7% of GNI.
An OECD survey shows that most donors plan to increase aid over the next three years, though at a slower pace than before: 2% per year between now and 2013, compared to the average 8% per year over the past three years. Aid to Africa is likely to rise by just 1% per year in real terms, compared to an average of 13% over the past three years. At this rate, any additional aid to the African countries will be outpaced by population growth, which is not good news for the fight against poverty or reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
See www.oecd.org/dac/scalingup
©OECD Observer No 284, Q1 2011
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