UK aid reputation stagnating
By Ian Dunt
The UK has stopped rising up the European league table of humanitarian aid.
It now stands behind Luxemburg, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium and Finland, spending 0.41 per cent of national income on overseas aid.
Italy came bottom of the table, spending just 0.16 per cent of its national income. The country is increasingly becoming the humanitarian leper of Europe, cutting its aid budget this year, despite hosting the G8 conference.
It is now in danger of slipping behind eastern-bloc countries like Lithuania and Slovenia.
Other rich European countries are also lagging behind the UK, with France spending only 0.30 per cent of national income, and German giving 0.28 per cent.
Humanitarian group AidWatch accused the UK of artificially inflating its aid figures by incorporating debt cancellation funds totalling 454 million euros (£408m) into its overall overseas aid figure.
Max Lawson, Oxfam senior policy advisor, said: “This report shows that there is no room for complacency – the UK is still playing catch-up in the European league table of aid.
“Whoever wins the next election must set out a clear timetable to deliver the UKs existing aid commitments and increase UK aid spending excluding debt relief – to at least 0.7 per cent of national income as soon as possible.
“Only then will the UK climb out of mid-table towards the top of the European aid league.”
The EU12 group of recent entrants to the EU including Cyprus and Malta as well as Eastern European countries – has promised to spend 0.17 per cent of national income on aid by 2010 and 0.33 per cent by 2015.
