The future of Development Aid

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, the Dutch government decided to reduce Dutch Aid expenditures from 0.8% to 0.7% of the Gross National Product. The new Dutch government also plans to argue for changes in the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) criteria for Official Development Aid (ODA). In that way more peacekeeping operations in developing countries can be labelled as ODA. The government claims that its ‘3D’ approach in Afghanistan was a success, and uses this argument to put more pressure on the ODA budget for military expenditure.

HealthNet TPO is of the opinion that a more critical attitude towards the development sector is justified and should be welcomed. The four agencies forming the “Dutch Consortium for Rehabilitation” will have to prove added value and innovative potential in the coming five years and rightfully so. But given the choices the Dutch government has made over the last one-and-a-half years, one can only wonder whether what the criteria for success will be like in five years time.