The world’s biggest donors failed to meet their aid targets for 2010 despite an increase in aid levels over the past six years, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s latest annual review of development assistance.
Aid levels reached $128.7 billion in 2010, up from approximately $120 billion in 2009, the review says, adding that aid levels continue to rise. But OECD said that despite increasing the volume of aid by $30 billion since 2005, G-8 member countries and other donors missed their target by at least $19 billion.
OECD said only a fraction of the shortfall can be attributed to the recent economic crisis.
“Only a little over $1 billion of the shortfall can be attributed to lower than expected GNI levels due to the economic crisis. The remaining gap of $18 billion was due to donors that that did not meet their ODA commitments,” the Paris-based organization said in a news release.
G-8 member countries also failed to meet their pledge to increase the amount of aid they provide to Africa by $25 billion by 2010, OECD said, explaining that donors only delivered $11 billion out of their pledged target.
“This shortfall is larger in percentage terms than the shortfall in total ODA. The main reason is the poor performance of several of the donors that provide large shares of their aid to Africa,” OECD said.
Oxfam International has urged leaders of donor countries that failed to meet their commitments to “come to the table” in the upcoming European Union and G-8 summits to explain how they plan to get their pledges back on track.
“The future for the poorest people in the world looks bleak and they must not pay with their lives for the broken promises of rich countries. Aid levels must go up rapidly rather than stagnating or being slashed,” Oxfam’s Max Lawson said.
European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs said the bloc will focus its aid on clean energy and food security over the next five years, the Guardian reports.
Later this year, Piebalgs said he will unveil proposals “regarding the clearer focus on the future of development policy, better co-operation and a higher impact on the ground.”
“[The proposals] will focus on less sectors, basically those making the biggest impact, such as agriculture, food security … and climate change, providing support for clean energy, and also the knowhow. In these two areas, the EU has been successful in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy,” he told the Guardian.
Of the EU member states, only Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Finland and Ireland met their aid targets in 2010.
Read more development aid news.
