From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#2 (October 1997), Watch page

DEVELOPMENT AID
So much for the 'peace dividend'

Although global military spending has fallen by $500 bn in the 1987-95 period, development aid fell by 14 per cent in real terms in 1992-95, and by another 4.2 per cent in 1996, says The Reality of Aid, 1997-1998 -- An Independent Review of Development Cooperation, recently published by Earthscan. Contributors to the publication include the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), EUROSTEP and ActionAid. Development aid "is at its lowest level since statistics began in 1950," amounting to just 0.25 per cent of the gross national product (GNP) of the world's 21 richest countries. In 1969, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), set the target of allocating 0.7 per cent of GNP to ODA. This was endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 1970. Last year, only four countries -- Denmark, Norway, Netherlands and Sweden -- reached and exceeded the target.

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