The Danish government sees the aid budget as a toolkit for preventing the arrival of refugees. Private aid expands, but many agreements are terminated.

Sharp increase in domestic refugee costs eats into growing Swedish aid budget

Sweden’s domestic refugee costs are expected to grow again in next year’s aid budget due to a strong increase in expenses related to people seeking asylum in the country. Domestic refugee costs eat up almost the entire growth in the budget.

Sweden looking for new NGOs to channel humanitarian funds

With the departure of MSF and political signals of more funding in 2017, Sida plans to add NGOs to its list of “strategic humanitarian partners.”

Equal reporting of refugee costs pushes Germany, Finland to top of donor list

Chaos reigns when it comes to the reporting of aid spent on caring for refugees in donor countries to the OECD DAC. Some countries report little or nothing as aid, while others milk the system for all it is worth. If all donors reported domestic refugee aid costs in the same way, what would the European donor map look like? Development Today has run the numbers; the result is a very different donor map.

Donors negotiate major expansion of World Bank’s role in global aid

A huge reform of World Bank operations in poor countries is underway. Donors are positive about a plan to expand the bank’s financial resources by almost USD 25 billion. The Bank’s plan can be seen as a way to reclaim the Bretton Woods institution’s position as the leading actor on the global development scene in the wake of the Sustainable Development Goals and the emergence of new development banks backed by China.

NOK 1.5b at stake. Norway optimistic after DRC forest tour

While other donors remain reluctant to put money on the table, Norway strives for the “perfect mix between pushing and pulling” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lövin adds billions to the aid budget

The Swedish government has added SEK 6.4 billion for aid activities abroad in response to the sharp fall in expenditures for refugees coming to Sweden.

Failed Congo project: Norway, UK await refund

Norway and the United Kingdom cancelled their support for the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF) over a year ago. They are still awaiting reimbursement of the remaining money from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

IFU to create huge SDG investment fund

In next year’s aid budget the government proposes a major boost in Danish private sector instruments. One of the main channels is IFU.

Norad launches two business aid windows

Norad announces two new private sector schemes: Building Skills for Jobs and Enterprise Development for Jobs. The overreaching goal for both windows is job creation in developing countries.

Opinions

Former ED stands by World Bank’s new project standards

After three years as Nordic-Baltic Executive Director at the World Bank, the Finnish diplomat Satu Santala reflects on the extent of influence the group enjoys within the Bank.

Coherent reporting on SDGs

UNOPS launches a Global Report Initiative to monitor progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, Executive Director Grete Faremo writes.

Editorial

Chaotic domestic refugee spending as aid

When the OECD wrote its 1998 guidelines for reporting refugee costs spent in the donor countries as aid, an event like last year’s migration crisis in Europe was not on the radar. Even prior to 2015, the practice for reporting refugee costs as aid varied among donors. Some donors reported nothing to the OECD, while others reported as much as they could.

Mark Dybul makes Global Fund’s USD 13 billion case

As the 2017-2019 replenishment conference approaches, Mark Dybul’s best hope may be to convince rich countries that it is in their own best interest to wipe out Aids, TB and malaria.

DT Archive

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Quote: New role for Danish aid

“We will have more money to create development and prevent new refugee and migration movements, which are threatening our own security and welfare.”
- Denmark's Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen

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