The data for official development assistance (ODA) 2009 published by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in April 2010 (see reference) give a bleak picture. In a year of severe world economic crisis, ODA, generally acknowledged as the essential tool to fight poverty, stagnated. And contrary to the EU’s constantly repeated commitment on scaling-up aid, EU ODA fell – just one year before the deadline for reaching the EU targets. By Bodo Ellmers
The 23 DAC donors’ disbursed US$119.6bn net ODA in 2009, down from US$122.3bn in 2008. In real terms, at constant 2008 prices and exchange rates, ODA showed a minimal increase to US$123.1bn, up 0.7% from 2008 levels. This does not mean that donors made much progress in reaching the 40-years-old United Nations’ goal of providing ODA to the amount of 0.7% of their gross national income ... ... this article is for subscribers only. For direct log in >>> click here.If you have no subscription >>> pick your option or >>>
After decades of isolation - imposed by major OECD countries out of concern for the country's human rights violations - Myanmar is emerging as a new darling of the "West" - judging by the accelerating succession of visits by senior officials and gurus. New groups of investors are waiting to enter the country as soon as possible.
Persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession. Now the United Nations have downgraded significantly its forecasts for the world economy in the next year.
Eastern European states are in for a new round of the crisis. The external control of the banking sector and high reliance on external credit has landed the countries of Eastern Europe in a vulnerable position. Now, credit flows from Western banks are drying up again. Hungary has been the first country in the region to ask for IMF support again.
While the G20 efforts to manage global aggregate demand, exchange rate management and stronger regulation of the international financial sector have not worked out quite as planned, in Cannes the Group was further solidifying its role in directing the system of multilateral institutions.
In November 2011, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is celebrating its 50th anniversary.The new Minister, Dirk Niebel of the (neo)-liberal FDP has launched a 'radical change of course'. In the recent edition of the Reality of Aid shadow report the change is analyzed.