MEDIA RELEASE

World governments have failed to make aid work: civil society recommends 3 ways to fix it

The day before the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, as the outcome document of the event is in the final stage of negotiations, civil society groups gathered in Busan, representing more than 20,000 civil society organisations (CSOs) – including trade unions, women’s groups, faith-based organisations –call on governments in a joint statement to compensate for missed commitments by making newer and better promises to make development aid work for the people.

In the “Paris Declaration” of 2005, governments agreed to a set of measurements to manage and improve aid effectiveness. Those commitments have largely failed. OECD and CSO evidence suggest that at best only two of the 21 Paris Declaration targets have been achieved since 2005. Major issues that must be tackled include tied aid, transparency, accountability and conditionality.

“Development is not only about economic growth, but first and foremost it is about fulfilling the rights and needs of people,” says Antonio Tujan, Co-chair of BetterAid and International Director at IBON International.

To this end, civil society insists that the High Level Forum results in development policies and practices that:

1. Are rights-based.
2. Guarantee space for civil society organizations and other non-state actors to fulfill their development roles, at a minimum, in keeping with binding commitments outlined in international and regional instruments that guarantee fundamental rights.
3. Ensure that private sector involvement in development actually contributes to development, and respects international labour standards and conventions.

Development is a Human Right, instilled in international conventions, and recognized by the 1986 declaration on the right to development.

“It is the responsibility not only of individual states but also of the community of nations, both those gathered now in Busan, and those not here, to realize development for all,” says Roselynn Musa from the African Women’s Development and Communication Network.

A CIVICUS survey of CSOs recently found that 11% of CSOs were operating in a highly restrictive environment, 36% in quite limiting circumstances and 45% in moderately limiting situations. Combined, over 90% of CSOs are operating in difficult circumstances of different degrees and are limited in their ability to engage as equal development actors.

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NOTE: About BetterAid

BetterAid unites over one thousand development organizations from civil society worldwide, and has been working on development cooperation and challenging the aid effectiveness agenda since January 2007. BetterAid led many of the civil society activities including in-country and regional consultations, studies and monitoring, in the lead up to the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. www.betteraid.org

A regional consultation was done for the Caribbean which was held in Dominican Republic which brought together a number of national organisations. This resulted in a Caribbean network on Aid Effectiveness. Click here for the network site: Aid Effectiveness Caribbean

Contacts

Clare Birkett, BetterAid +82 (0)1086790769 cbirkett@betteraid.org

Olga Kozhaeva, Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness +82 (0)10 8679 0735 ofassisant@concordeurope.org