By channeling its aid to Somalia through the United Nations, the U.K. Department for International Development is contributing to the politicization of British aid to the African nation, an expert says.
In February, the U.K. announced it would provide 10.5 million pounds ($17 million) to help drought-affected people in Somalia. The funding was channeled through the United Nations Common Humanitarian Fund.
>> UK Eyes Scaling Up Aid to Somalia
Marc DuBois, executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières U.K., writes in an AlertNet blog: “The U.N. Resident Coordinator for Somalia [Mark Bowden] wears the U.N.’s political as well as humanitarian hats - a sign for many in Somalia that humanitarian assistance acts in service to the U.N.’s political aims. His recently announced intentions to further integrate these two forms of U.N. action at a ‘strategic’ level cast yet more doubt on the purpose of humanitarian aid in the Horn of Africa nation.”
The British government has been making a case for its foreign aid funding, which was ring-fenced amid cuts on government spending, on the basis of its role in advancing U.K. national security interests.
>> In UK, Development Key to Promoting National Security
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