The European Commission’s new unapologetic focus on global partnerships designed to serve its own interests has dismayed foreign aid advocates over what they say is a shift away from poverty eradication in the least developed countries, or LDCs.
When it comes to LDCs, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development requested by Devex indicates they are right to be concerned.
Between 1990 and 2022, the share of the commission’s official development assistance, or ODA, going to LDCs dropped from 52% to 19%, bucking the trend among major donors.