Donors have pledged support for the democratic transition in Tunisia and Egypt following the collapse of decades-old authoritarian regimes in both countries.
The European Union, the African Development Bank and Germany have committed assistance to help Tunisia transition into democratic rule. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime, which spanned more than two decades, ended in January after weeks of political uprising.
Egypt, meanwhile, has secured support from the U.S., Sweden and Germany to pave the way for “real” and “credible” democracy in the country after Hosni Mubarak’s regime fell on Feb. 11.
In Europe, the planned merger of the European Union’s humanitarian aid and crisis management budgets after 2013 has sparked concerns among aid groups and members of the European Parliament that the bloc’s aid will increasingly be politicized. The Netherlands is urging the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to count military spending for promoting peace and security in developing nations as development aid, while the Swedish government has earmarked some 1.5 billion Swedish kronor (USD233.3 million) for domestic non-governmental organizations engaged in the developing world in 2011.
In Canada, Minister of International Cooperation Beverley Oda has admitted that she ordered the modification of a memorandum by the Canadian International Development Agency to deny funding for church-based organization Kairos.
AusAID will phase out 257 adviser positions in its aid programs across 20 countries following a review indicating “over-reliance” on advisers in AusAID-backed development schemes. Australia’s federal opposition has proposed to defer an educational program in Indonesia in favor of funding the rehabilitation of Australian schools damaged by the recent massive flooding.
Appointments:
Xue Lan, member of the International Development Research Center’s board of governors.
Seth Fearey, Peace Corps country director for Kyrgyzstan.
Vincent Groh, Peace Corps country director for Liberia.
Carol Barrick, Peace Corps country director for Nicaragua.
John Lamb, rejoined Abt Associates, as principal associate in the international economic growth division
