Global Issues
Q&A: Sweden Vows to Sustain Aid Levels to Poorer Nations
Sweden has pledged to maintain its current level of development aid to the world's poorer nations - roughly at about one percent of gross national product (GNP) - despite the global financial crisis.
'We are probably alone in the world to do so,' Development Minister Gunilla Carlsson told IPS.
However, she warned, the levels of aid decrease as the volume of the economy decreases. 'Therefore, we have given priority to poverty reduction in our budget.'
Sweden's official development assistance (ODA) to developing nations rose from about 4.3 billion dollars in 2007 to about 4.7 billion dollars in 2008.
The same figure is likely to be sustained in 2009, as the latest statistics are released later this year.
The Swedish minister said the focus is directed at humanitarian aid, specifically to Africa where the need is greatest.
'Thus, our priority is also aid through multilateral organisations [because] it often has a good chance to reach the most vulnerable,' Carlsson said in an interview told IPS correspondent Jennie Lorentsson in Stockholm.
Sweden, which wrapped up its six-month presidency of the 27-member European Union (EU) last month, is operating on a 2010 budget which aims to moderate the decline in employment, defend core welfare services, encourage more business growth and protect the climate.
Excerpts from the interview follow.
Q: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has complained that the global financial crisis is thwarting some of the world's poorest nations from achieving the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals, including reduction of poverty, hunger and maternal mortality, by the targeted date of 2015. What role is the EU playing in rectifying this situation? A: The world's donor community has a shared responsibility to meet the Millennium Development Goals. EU is also the largest donor and has thus an important role to play. This was also highlighted as EU development ministers recently met in Brussels.
Then the question was raised that the member states really should put timetables to show how they intend to increase its self-own commitments and to reach the U.N. target of 0.7 percent of GNP for development aid. Sweden is here already at a level of 1.0 percent. While stressing the importance of other donors in the world to assume their responsibilities, eradicating poverty is one of the objectives of aid.
Q: How far has development aid from Western nations helped developing nations in their battle against poverty? A: There are many good examples of how aid has made a substantial difference for many poor people. But there is a problem to measure and define the results of development cooperation. Botswana is a good example where assistance has contributed to its development.
However, Sweden has been able to phase out assistance to Botswana. While it is important to see aid as one of several key elements for poverty eradication, trade and agricultural policy [should also] come into play. This is also the case in Botswana.
Q: How important is good governance - rule of law, multi-party government, respect for human rights and freedom of the press - in a country's development process? Is EU development aid conditional to good governance? A: These are all fundamental prerequisites for a viable development. Actually, the lack of food is not the basic problem in many countries, but the lack of freedom is. EU's total aid has risen sharply while the EU also has taken important steps to promote political pluralism and continue to create conditions for the functioning of the rule of law.
Q: Does the EU plan to penalise countries such as Sudan, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Myanmar who are accused of human rights violations, bad governance or war crimes? And how? A: It is often in harsh dictatorships that people also suffer the most. Thus, it is always a difficult balancing act to not work with undemocratic regimes, but at the same time we try to help the people affected. Humanitarian aid to victims can be made even though the EU does not cooperate with the regime. That is the case in, for example, Zimbabwe or Burma.
Q: What do you think are the major political and economic results of the Swedish presidency which ended last month? A: Sweden had two overarching priorities for the presidency: to overcome the global economic crisis in various ways and to handle the climate issue. In the development field, I think we have come a long way in both these areas. We have consolidated the importance of countries' will to reach the level of aid that the U.N. demanded, despite the global economic crisis.
We have also taken a number of conclusions on efforts in the field of democracy, greater efficiency in development cooperation and greater coherence between aid and other policies. In the climate field, climate efforts have now become an accepted and important component of the overall development policy.
I am also particularly glad that this year's European Development Days (EDD) in Stockholm drew a large number of participants, with over 6,000 visitors. There were both state governors, academics, aid organisations and the public jointly participated in all the important discussions on everything from climate and maternal mortality to democracy and human rights.
© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service