Foreign aid from official donors falls by 0.6%

OECD provisional figures released today suggest ODA has decreased by 0.6% as less money was spent on refugees inside donor countries.

Tamsyn Barton Chief Executive of Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development, said:

“It’s worrying that ODA spend from official donors has fallen by 0.6% since 2016. This is the first time the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) aid total has fallen in the last 5 years. The reduction in the amount of aid donors are allocating towards in-country spending, such as support to refugees, is welcome, as this should come from domestic budgets and aid should not be diverted from the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. It is also welcome that several years of decline in aid going to the least developed countries has been reversed, however it remains a concern that the total ODA has decreased by 0.6%.

This decline cannot become a trend when the need for aid is greater than ever to help families fleeing conflict in developing countries, or to support getting girls into education, and at a time when more investment is needed to combat the destructive effects of climate change.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

1. OECD Press Release: Development aid stable in 2017 with more sent to poorest countries

2. Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 450 civil society organisations and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.

3. For further information please contact Maryam Mohsin, [email protected] or 07555 336029