Audit Report Slams DFID

Only half of the projects executed by the U.K. Department for International Development in insecure nations such as Afghanistan and Iraq are meeting their targets, a new report by the British government’s independent spending watchdog revealed. The National Audit Office said in its report that DFID possessed “insufficient evidence on how best to adapt its approach to counter the risks posed by insecurity.” The report also stressed that the British development agency suffers from “high staff turnover, limited experience and staffing gaps” in its operations in insecure countries. (“Audit report criticises government development projects” - Guardian, Oct. 15, 2008)