Development aid rose 6.9% from 2014 to reach a total of US$131.6 billion and aid money dedicated to refugees more than doubled, to US$12 billion, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
Bilateral aid to the poorest countries increased by 4% and is expected to continue rising, according to the DAC.
13 April 2016: Development aid rose 6.9% from 2014 to reach a total of US$131.6 billion and aid money dedicated to refugees more than doubled, to US$12 billion, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Bilateral aid to the poorest countries increased by 4% and is expected to continue rising, according to the DAC.
Funding on hosting and processing refugees in donor countries accounted for 9.1% of official development assistance (ODA) in 2015, according to the DAC, increasing from 4.8% in 2014. The DAC also reports that donors used money outside their aid budgets to finance refugee costs. Additionally, humanitarian aid rose by 11% in real terms to US$13.6 billion.
OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría welcomed the increased aid to poor countries. He called on governments “to ensure that development aid keeps rising” and “to develop long-term options for meeting future refugee costs and the integration of refugees in our societies” while ensuring that ODA reaches those countries and people most in need. DAC Chair Erik Solheim added that continuing the current momentum of aid flows is “the best way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and avoid future refugee crises.”
The European Union (EU) and its member States remain the world’s leading aid donor in 2015, increasing its ODA for the third year in a row, from €59 billion in 2014 to €68 billion in 2015. The EU’s ODA dedicated to refugee costs increased to €8.9 billion.
The EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said the EU’s role as the leading provider of ODA “clearly demonstrates our firm commitment to financing for development (FfD) and supporting the new SDGs.” Mimica stressed that the EU and its member States increased their support for development aid to developing countries as well as for the refugee crisis.
Six countries exceeded the 0.7% ODA/ Gross National Income (GNI) mark in 2015: Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and Norway. [OECD Press Release] [EU Press Release]