NEWS & EVENTS
AID/WATCH open letter to Bob Carr
The Rio+20 is the United Nations conference on sustainable development. It brings together world leaders, government officials, the private sector, NGOs and other civil society groups with the aim of talking about poverty reduction, how to advance social equity,...
Foreign aid delay to save $2.9b
The decision, revealed in Tuesday night's budget, will save the Government $2.9 billion over four years.The Government had committed to increases in the foreign aid budget so it would reach 0.5 per cent of gross national income (GNI) by 2015-16.But Foreign Minister...
MEDIA RELEASE – Suspension of Cambodian Railway Project Welcomed by AID/WATCH: Carr must visit resettlement sites for himself
‘We welcome the suspension but the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Cambodia and AusAID must stop relocations and use this time to fully investigate the problems of resettlement with the project’ said Co-Director of AID/WATCH Liz...
Negotiators reach consensus on global land governance guidelines
Negotiators in Rome have agreed on a proposed set of voluntary global guidelines on responsible governance of land tenure and access rights to land, fisheries and forest resources.The proposals will be sent to the UN's committee on world food security for final...
As Myanmar opens, donor exit at border puts dreams in peril
Migrant children aiming at a better life through a Thai education are seeing their dreams evaporate as international aid dries up with organisations abandoning them in favour of initiatives inside the country Article originally appeared in the Bangkok Post. By Ko Htwe...
Australian aid to PNG training ‘private armies’
Dr Andrew Lattas has done extensive field in PNG says these links with Malaysian logging companies are undermining the legitimacy of the state and will lead to a general collapse in state structures.Presenter:Geraldine CouttsSpeaker:Dr Andrew Lattas, Department of...
Australian Multilateral Assessment
Tracking the Independent Review: Measuring up the MultilateralsThe Australian Government’s Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness recommended an assessment of the multilateral organisations that the Government funds as part of Australia's aid program. In...
Opposition calls for dramatic increase in Afghan aid
Usually careful to support the government's position on Afghanistan, Senator David Johnston told the National Times he doesn't believe ''anyone is critically analysing that civilian side of the (international) operation''.On Australia's aid effort in the country, he...
AID/WATCH in the news: Beyond aid numbers: accountability for human rights abuses
From the popular #dontcutaid Twitter hashtag, to the letter to the Prime Minister from over 100 prominent Australians including Geoffrey Rush, the debate over the delay has focused on the important issue of the quantity of aid spending.But beyond the headline numbers,...
Evictions and Human Rights Abuses Continue under AusAID Railways Project
AusAID and the Asian Development Bank have been co-funding a project to rehabilitate the railway lines since 2009. The project has been described as a defacto privatisation project for the benefit of an Australian-linked consortium, which includes Toll Holdings and a...
AID/WATCH IN THE NEWS: Australian firm suspends Cambodia train operation
Listen to storyELIZABETH JACKSON: Australian company Toll has suspended its involvement in the running of trains in Cambodia for a year, potentially derailing a project that's been partly funded by Australian taxpayers.Toll has a 30 year concession to run the...
Open-pit coal mine project in Bangladesh threatens human rights
Read our report here: http://www.aidwatch.org.au/publications/aidwatch-newsletter-1and read the verdict of the UN here: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41398&Cr=Bangladesh&Cr1 Open-pit coal mine project in Bangladesh threatens human rights...