If you’re an NGO, and you get a grant from the Belgian government, it probably means you’re Belgian.
Belgium, with a population of 11.7 million people and a gross national income of around $630 billion, is the 17th largest donor in the OECD Development Assistance Committee. In 2023, it gave $2.8 billion, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
But the country has a strict set of criteria governing who can apply for that funding, which campaigners say precludes NGOs from the global south getting a look-in. Only accredited NGOs can apply for direct funding — a process which takes place every five years and is valid for 10 years.