Iceland will terminate its development cooperation with Namibia at the end of this year. This leaves just three countries - Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda - in the Nordic island nation’s aid portfolio.

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Denmark freezes aid, spends more at home

Next year the Danish aid budget will be frozen at the 2009 level - DKK 15.2 billion - and will remain there until 2013. The new Development Minister Søren Pind wants to focus on private sector aid to Africa. Simultaneously, he is plans to take DKK 225m out of IFU to fund a high-tech initiative in Copenhagen.

There has been little reaction to the report by Inga-Britt Ahlenius, former head of the UN’s watchdog agency, in which she slams the UN’s failure to crack down on corruption in its own ranks.

When Finland faced a financial crisis in the early 1990s, aid was the first budget post to be slashed. This time round, things are different. According to the budget proposal for 2011, more than EUR 100 million in new aid funds will be available next year.

In response to the catastrophic flood in Pakistan, Denmark will accelerate the disbursement of funds for a new programme of development assistance to the South Asian country. (See DT 18/09)

Four “new” NGOs have entered the competition for Sida information grants under the new rules that took effect this summer.

Sweden under-reports tied aid: SADEV

Sweden has probably reported too much of its aid to the OECD as being untied. A review of Swedish aid statistics shows incorrect coding of efforts and serious weaknesses in the system.