The COVID-19 pandemic and related crises call for higher levels of ODA

Today, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced that over the course of 2020 DAC donors allocated 161.2 billion USD of official development assistance (ODA), more commonly known as ‘development aid’. Despite the long-standing commitment to contribute 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) towards ODA, the 2020 figures show that only 32 cents for every $100 in national income was allocated to addressing global development and humanitarian challenges. Such low ODA levels are both economically unwise and morally flawed, given the current pandemic and interconnected crises, including climate change, conflict, fragility, and rising poverty and inequalities.

COVID-19 is not a fleeting crisis – it has already left a lasting impact on all aspects of our societies, disrupting 25 years of global progress against poverty and inequalities in a matter of months. The world’s most marginalised are disproportionately affected. COVID-19 is pushing an estimated 150 million people into extreme poverty, and 137 million to the brink of starvation, representing an increase of over 80% in acute hunger since before the pandemic began.

Before the pandemic, donors were already off-track to achieve their international aid commitments. The consequences of COVID-19 requires the DAC community to considerably increase its ODA levels. ODA is a vital resource for supporting those most in need to help counter the negative trends coming from the pandemic, compounded by the climate emergency and persisting conflicts and fragility. In 2020, DAC donors prioritised their national responses towards COVID at the expense of international aid. This 2021, a substantial and immediate increase in ODA levels must be the top priority to ensure the achievement of the 2030 Agenda on time. Now is the time to move beyond mainly protecting existing aid budgets as the released figures show.

76 civil society organisations across the world are calling on DAC members to fulfill and exceed the 0.7% target for ODA and the 0.15% to 0.2% target for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), prioritising unconditional grants and technical support. We urge the DAC to work with the experience of partner countries, DAC members and other stakeholders to ramp up the role of aid in support of health, education, social protection, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention in the midst of this unfinished crisis. Furthermore, we call on donors to uphold the integrity of ODA, building on decades of lessons for effective development cooperation, and to uphold human rights and development effectiveness principles.

Media contact :

Matthew Simonds, Global Coordinator DAC-CSO Reference Group: msimonds@csopartnership.org

Mark Pascual, Media Coordinator DAC-CSO Reference Group: mpascual@realityofaid.org

Signed by:

ACEP – Associação para a Cooperação Entre os Povos, Portugal
Act Church of Sweden, Sweden
Act Alliance, Global
ActionAid International, Global
Action Santé Mondiale, France
Aid Watch Canada, Canada
AKÜ – Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation, Estonia
Alliance Sud, Switzerland
Ambrela, Slovakia
AQOCI – Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale, Canada
Bond – the International Development Network, United Kingdom
Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canada
Canadian Lutheran World Relief, Canada
Care International, Global
Caritas Europa, Regional
CBM – Global Disability Inclusion, Global
CCEDNet – Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Canada
Centre for Research and Advocacy Manipur, India
CNCD-11.11.11 – Centre National de Coopération au Développement, Belgium
Commonwealth Medical Trust, United Kingdom
CONCORD – European NGO confederation for Relief and Development, Regional
CONCORD Sweden, Sweden
Cooperation Canada, Canada
Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, Canada
Coordinadora de ONGDs – Spain
Coordination Sud, France
Council for People’s Development and Governance, Philippines
Cordaid, the Netherlands
CPDE – CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness, Global
Crosol, Croatia
CSPPS – Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, Global
DemNet, Hungary
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada, Canada
Diakonia, Sweden
EILER – The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, Philippines
Eurodad – the European Network on Debt and Development, Regional
Global Citizen, Global
Global Policy Forum, Global
Global Responsibility, Austria
Grandmothers Advocacy Network, Canada
Fingo – Finnish Development NGOs, Finland
ForumCiv, Sweden
FORS – Czech Forum for Development Cooperation, Czech Republic
Ibon Foundation, Philippines
Ibon International, Global
Inter Pares, Canada
Islamic Relief Canada, Canada
JANIC – Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation, Japan
KAIROS – Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Canada
KOO – Co-ordination Office of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference for International Development and Mission, Austria
McLeod Group, Canada
Nash Vek Public Foundation, Kyrgyzstan
NEADS – North-East Affected Area Development Society, India
ONE, Global
Oxfam International, Global
PIANGO, Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations, Regional
Plataforma ONGD Portuguesa, Portugal
Reality of Aid, Global
Reality of Aid – Africa, Regional
Reality of Aid – Asia and the Pacific, Regional
Rihrdo – Rural Infrastructure and Human Resources Development organisation, Pakistan
RIPESS – Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy, Global
SOCODEVI, Canada
Swedish Development Partner, Sweden
Taiwan Aid, Taiwan
Tanzania Coalition on Debt and Development, Tanzania
Tearfund, Canada
United Church of Canada, Canada
UPADI – UPA Développement International, Canada
Veterinarians without Borders, Canada
Wemos, the Netherlands
WILPF – Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – Sweden, Sweden
Women for Water Partnership, the Netherlands
World Accord, Canada
World Vision – EU Representation
11.11.11, Belgium