Reaction to the report on Multilateral Aid Review of the UK Department for International Development
"It is with great satisfaction that I took note of the Department for International Development (DFID)'s report on the Multilateral Aid Review that was published today. I was particularly pleased to see that the Commission is praised for its work in managing funds to fight poverty worldwide.
The overall conclusions of the report commend the Commission's efficient, transparent and well-targeted work in developing countries.
I am proud to note the Commission's work in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific countries was considered to be both innovative and effective. Our work in fragile states was also commended.
It is also encouraging to see that our work in helping developing countries to cope with the impact of the economic and food crises was very positively assessed.
However, this is no time for complacency. As the world changes, EU development policy and aid must change with it and reflect the new realities and new needs.
I am determined to take DFID's recommendations into account in my current work on the future direction of EU development policy. I fully share their objectives of providing better value for money, ensuring that our aid has the maximum impact possible and going towards a differentiated approach of developing countries.
DFID's report confirms that EU aid is properly managed and makes a difference. My ambition is to build on this positive performance by focusing EU aid on sectors conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development, whilst also supporting efforts towards good governance.
With respect to the level of resources allocated to different countries, we want to focus grant aid more on the poorest. In our cooperation with more advanced countries, we want to promote partnerships based on common interests, using a combination of loans with grants and other innovative financing.
We also want to introduce more flexibility into the budgetary mechanisms to improve on our ability to introduce innovative schemes (for example to help countries to cope with external shocks).
DFID’s review comes at an opportune time to inform these reforms and allow us to further improve our ability to support the development needs of our partner countries and make sure that European taxpayers' money goes to help those who need it most".
Notes to the Editor
As the second largest donor worldwide, the Commission is active in more than 150 countries mainly via two distinct financial instruments: the European Development Fund -which covers the ACP Countries- and the Development Cooperation instrument (covering Asia and Latin America), worth 39 billion euros over the 2007-2013 period.
The objectives of Commission's programmes are widespread, for example, from support for health and education in Nepal to programmes which promote stability in the Middle East, or economic development in Kenya and Nicaragua.
More Information:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/News-Stories/2011/The-future-of-UK-aid/
