UnitingWorld, the international development and partnerships arm of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, welcomes the increased focus on international aid as part of the 2010/11 Budget announced by the Australian Government on Tuesday 11 May 2010.
The total increase of $530 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) will empower millions of people to move out of extreme poverty. It continues to recognise the value of accredited non-government organisations (NGOs), like the Relief and Development Unit of UnitingWorld.
In 2009/10, 0.31 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) was allocated for ODA, representing a total of $3.82 billion. An increase of $530 million will increase this to $4.35 billion, or 0.33 per cent of GNI.
UnitingWorld Associate Director for Relief and Development, Mr Rob Floyd, said: “I commend the Government on putting their promise to increase ODA to 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015 into action. On a world scale, Australia has come out of the Global Financial Crisis relatively unscathed. We are in a prime position to help people in developing countries who have experienced significantly greater hardship as a result of this crisis.”
Mr Floyd also welcomes an increased focus on aid effectiveness by expanding the role of accredited international development organisations through the AusAID-NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). “The ANCP reforms mean that we can access significantly greater funding, which effectively multiplies donations we receive from the Australian public by as much as six times. This reaffirms the fact that accredited NGOs have a significant role to play in the delivery of quality international development programs, while also educating the public on what ‘good development’ involves.
“This increase will put Australia on par with other OECD countries, though this still falls short of the UN recommendation to increase ODA to 0.7 per cent. We encourage the Australian Government to announce a timeline for achieving this target.”
The 2010/11 Budget also indicated an increase of 31.8 per cent (after inflation) for Development Education, which the Relief and Development Unit of UnitingWorld is actively engaged in, by facilitating partnerships between Uniting Church Schools and community groups in Australia, and our global Church Partners.
UnitingWorld Development Education Officer, Ms Bronwyn Fraser, said: “Public engagement and development education programs are a positive and valuable tool that empowers Australians to engage in debates surrounding poverty alleviation in an informed and critical way. It gives Australians a greater understanding of what effective development involves, so that they can be a part of the solution in a sustainable and culturally respectful way.
