NEWS & EVENTS

The structure of other multilateral organisations particularly the United Nations agencies is different to that of the World Bank and ADB. Many of the main agencies involved in multilateral aid such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food...

Firstly, multilateral development banks (MDBs) are the largest source of development finance in the world. According to the Bank Information Center, MDBs typically lend $30 to $40 billion dollars a year to low and middle income countries.[1]Secondly, MDBs also...

A multilateral organisation is an international organisation whose membership is made up of member governments, who collectively govern the organisation and are its primary source of funds. The OECD estimates that in 2008 around 40% of ODA or nearly US$50 billion from...

International research has shown that the tying of aid is costlier and less effective than untied aid.[1] The tying of aid is a practice which privileges Australian companies and national priorities in the aid program. Aid is tied in three ways: nationally-tied...

Corporate involvement in aidA major concern of Australia’s aid program is that it favours commercial interests in aid delivery.  The commercialisation of aid often results in “Boomerang Aid”- aid which ends up funding private Australian...

Issues to watch out for in the aid programAiding Australia's national interestAiding GovernanceTechnical AssistanceSecurity interests in aidAiding climate changeCommercial interests in aid   Next page Last updated 14 November 2010    

Whilst Denmark does not give much more aid than Australia in terms of dollar amounts, as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI), Denmark’s spending of 0.88% of GNI is almost 3 times that of Australia.[1] Denmark is also one of only five countries to achieve...

Aid figures alone do not tell us much about the quality of our aid program or even the true quantity of government aid.According to international research the practice of inflating aid figures is a common problem in the international donor community.  Australia...

 Australia’s policy of prioritising its national interests means that aid does not always reflect the priorities and needs of recipient countries and communities. This also creates a dramatic power imbalance between Australia and aid recipient countries....

Aid should be first and foremost guided by the needs of communities, allowing communities to determine their own development needs;Aid should promote local ownership and sustainability;Aid should be based on principles of social and environmental justice and support...

The Foundation of the People of the South Pacific International (FSPI) is a network of NGOs which focuses on people-centred programs in Pacific communities that foster self-determination and self-reliance.Many Southern CSOs and NGOs like FSPI advance the rights of...

The Reality of Aid (RoA) project is the only major North/South international initiative focused exclusively on analysing and lobbying for poverty eradication policies and practices in international aid. The RoA network believes that aid must have a clear, exclusive...

Priorities of AusAIDThe official objective of Australia’s overseas aid program is “to assist developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia’s national interest”.[i] The 2006 White Paper,...

Colonialism Britain and other imperial powers exported capital and manufactured goods to colonised countries in return for substantial imports of raw materials. This set up trading relationships that persist through to this day. Aid money from the colonisers to their...

New donors have emerged as significant players in our region, particularly China and Taiwan. However, other donor countries including Australia have expressed concern over both China and Taiwan’s use of so-called ‘dollar diplomacy’, exchanging aid...

How does philanthropy fit in with the established aid players?Philanthropic donors and bilateral government agencies are increasingly adopting joint partnerships, with public private partnerships (PPPs) being the most dominant form of collaboration. After signing a...

In recent years, China and Taiwan have emerged as significant donors in the Asia-Pacific region. Concerns have been raised from traditional donor nations such as Australia, with both nations accused of: Exchanging aid funds for political and diplomatic purposes;A...

NGOs get all the money                                    NGOs receive less than 10% of the Australian aid budget.A much larger proportion of Australian aid is in fact paid to...