NEWS & EVENTS

What with all the hullaballoo over whether Kevin Rudd was only going to New York to meet Missy Higgins, everyone, including the Prime Minister himself, seems to have forgotten exactly why he is in the Big Apple this week.After being labeled 'Kevin 747' by the...

GovernanceGovernance is a funding priority of the aid program which increased significantly in the post-September 11 security environment, peaking in 2005/06 at 36% of ODA. In the same year health, education and infrastructure spending made up 33% of ODA combined. Of...

Australia’s aid spending of approximately $4.3 billion for 2010-11 currently sits at 0.33% of the Gross National Income (GNI).[1]Whilst both the major political parties have made a commitment to increase the aid budget to 0.5% of GNI by 2015, this still falls...

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ACFID: Australian Council for International DevelopmentADB: Asian Development BankADF: Asian Development FundANCP: AusAID-NGO Cooperation ProgramAusAID: Australian Agency for International DevelopmentBonds: A bond is a debt security in which the authorised issuer...

 Become a member Sign up to get involved Become a memberWe need your help to continue our work as an independent monitor of Australia's aid and trade.Becoming a member is a great way that you can help AID/WATCH continue our important work as the only...

You can learn more about an NGO by checking their website, annual reports or profile. You can also call them - when NGO’s realise that potential donors are interested in the quality of their work they will be more inclined to improve this.Some important issues...

Child sponsorship is often promoted as giving sponsors the unique opportunity to witness the life-changing effect of their donations, achieved through personalised correspondence with their sponsor child. Child sponsorship has a broad appeal amongst the public due to...

People are often at their most generous when giving to emergency appeals. The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami attracted Australian public donations in excess of $260 million.[1] Governments also pledge the greatest humanitarian assistance packages during these emergency...

Historically, religious missionary activity has been related to hardships, cultural disruption and social upheaval for communities all over the world.  Some are sceptical of ideologies and values being presented as intrinsically linked with material wealth. Some...

Challenges NGOs face in maintaining faithfulness to their primary goal of poverty alleviation include:Differences in pay and lifestyles between international and local workers can result in local inflation and economies dependant on the aid industry dollar.Opting for...

Fundraising costsHow much does an NGO spend on fundraising compared to program spending?A US-based organisation, Smart Givers, has set a standard for the NGOs it accredits, with at least 70% of the organisation's annual expenses going towards program activity and not...

Grassroots Development targets disadvantaged groups through small, locally based projects. The overall aim is to empower people to become self-reliant through projects that take into account their specific environment and needs. These projects usually involve training...

There are a limited number of ongoing forums for government and NGO policy dialogue. The Committee for Development Cooperation (CDC) is a joint consultative body drawing representatives from NGOs, AusAID and the Australian Council for International Development...

Some common characteristics of NGOs according to Ball and Dunn[1] are: They are formed voluntarily; They are independent of government; They are not for private profit or gain; and Their principal is to improve the circumstances and prospects of disadvantaged...

Social and environmental impacts of projectsThe ability of MDBs to mobilise sufficient funds for large-scale ‘development’ projects is often cited as one of their key advantages. However, their involvement in promoting, funding and implementing large-scale...

Undemocratic decision-making Multilateral development banks have been criticised for being undemocratic due to the disproportionate power and influence wealthier member countries have in decision-making. Since voting power is weighted according to the financial...

These include:conditions attached to loans, programs and projectsundemocratic decision-making structures and processes bureaucratic structuressocial and environmental impacts of projectsConditionalityA long-standing issue surrounding aid from multilateral development...