Norway, the largest forest donor to Brazil, says its payments could end unless the destruction of rainforest is reversed and new measures that would weaken protection of the Amazon rainforest are rolled back.

Aid is ‘an important tool’ in new Danish foreign affairs and security strategy

At the launch of the new Danish foreign affairs and security policy strategy, Development Minister Ulla Tørnæs issued a thinly-veiled warning that Danish aid could be cut in recipient countries that refuse to take back asylum seekers rejected by Denmark.

Donors impose tougher conditions on UN, but fraud remains a ‘menace’

Nordic donors have played hardball to make UN agencies take their corruption problems seriously. But progress has been slow. A UN study concludes that fraud remains a “menace” in the UN System.

Kenya foots bill for delay in Lake Turkana wind project. Nordic aid-funded investors avoid losses

Kenyan consumers may have to pay millions of EUR in penalties due to delays in the transmission line for the Lake Turkana wind project. Five years ago the World Bank warned that this could happen.

Lake Chad famine: Building capacity of local humanitarian actors will take time

In the midst of a growing humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, the UN’s Peter Lundberg is trying to give a bigger role to local actors that have better access to vulnerable populations.

ILPI scandal. Massive troubles with grant management at Foreign Ministry in Oslo

A consultancy scandal continues to rock the Foreign Ministry as two new reports spotlight deep-rooted problems with how its officials manage aid grants.

Fierce competition over DKK 4 billion in Danish NGO financing

The Danish Foreign Ministry’s new NGO financing set-up offers huge potential increases to some organisations, but guarantees that others will be disappointed.

Former Swedish development minister to head Sida

Veteran Social Democrat politician and former Development Minister Carin Jämtin will be the new Director General of the aid agency, Sida.

IFAD sets final deadline for Tanzania sugar project

With USD 67 million tied up in the outgrowers programme for the Bagamoyo sugar project, IFAD is making one last effort to salvage the scheme.

Sweden’s largest UN initiative in 45 years: the Ocean Conference

Sweden is in the lead of a high-profile global initiative to save the world’s oceans.

UN Joint Inspection Unit report on fraud in the UN System

The JIU report, published in 2016, states that fraud is a “menace” that requires immediate action by UN agencies and the governing bodies. The impact of fraud in the UN System can be significant, entailing reputational risks as well as “substantial monetary losses.”

World Bank corruption report kicks off Danish police investigation of Consia

Danish police have initiated an investigation of Consultants based on a World Bank report.

Internal audit: Sida took too much at face value when it gave bridge financing to Bagamoyo bioenergy project

An internal Sida report criticises the decision to grant up to SEK 120 million to keep the Swedish firm Bagamoyo EcoEnergy (BEE) afloat in Tanzania.

Opinions

Security lens. Europe’s risky new approach to aid and migration

Europe is moving toward policies that favour using aid as political leverage to stem the flow of migrants into Europe. Research shows that when this has been tried in the past, it has not worked, Anna Knoll of ECDPM writes.

The failed Bagamoyo sugar project. Where Sida went wrong

The Swedish-owned Bagamoyo project was a grand scheme that aimed to replace 50 per cent of Tanzania's sugar imports. Sida placed its faith in the project and now risks losing SEK 54 million. Linda Engström examines what went wrong.

Editorial

Misguided response to consultant scandal

Norway’s chief diplomat Børge Brende has taken some tough steps to clean up the messy management of aid grants in the Foreign Ministry.

‘Who rules the world?’ Five Nordic Prime Ministers and a football
Photo: Norwegian Prime Minister’s Office

PMs present Nordic solutions for Agenda 2030

In late May five Prime Ministers met on a Norwegian island to lay out Nordic solutions for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. It was their portrait with a football that stole the show.

DT Archive

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Quote: Slow progress on corruption with UN agencies

“In Sweden we have a constitutional principle of openness and transparency. In most other countries and within multilateral organisations the basic principles are the opposite.”
- Karl Malm, Advisor on Corruption Investigations at Sida

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