On February 26, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck 35 kilometers underneath the Southern Highlands in Papua New Guinea, causing at least fifty deaths. An Australian Air Force plane carrying relief supplies landed five days later amid criticism that aid had been too slow to arrive. The effectiveness of the Australian response in PNG will only become evident in time. Yet […]
It started with a simple drink, or more accurately, the inability of Senegalese-born Magatte Wade to find it when she returned to Senegal. In searching for a hibiscus drink she remembered fondly from her childhood, it was nowhere to be seen in Dakar. The reason, she discovered, was that as Senegal’s wealth increased so did […]
Budget support is in the news once more. Corruption in Uganda recently spurred several Western governments to suspend their budget support to the government there. Unfortunately, for Uganda, this type of foreign aid makes up almost a quarter of its annual operating budget. So I’m thinking about budget support again and its role in […]
This week marks the official opening of the UN General Assembly in New York. As a result, several other events are taking place in New York to take advantage of the heads of state in town for the General Assembly and to focus on the many different facets of international affairs. This morning at the […]
A report released last month discussed the rising profile of BRICS countries–Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa–in health and development assistance and called upon the group to further their cooperation for better global health in the developing world. “Shifting Paradigm: How the BRICS are Shaping Global Health and Development” (PDF), written by the NGO […]
Development aid pulled from Guinea-Bissau Millions of dollars in assistance to Guinea-Bissau have been suspended by the World Bank and African Development Bank after military leaders staged a coup, scuttling presidential elections and detaining the leading candidate. Elections next would be held in two years, said the coup leaders, who chose the former vice president […]
In follow-up to my Haiti post, Transparency International has just released a handbook on humanitarian aid. Very interesting and worth checking out.
Halfway through Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid, I find myself with many of the same thoughts that plagued me during my graduate studies – how could so many smart people get this so entirely wrong? Regardless of whether you agree with the intensity of Moyo’s criticism, you will find your head nodding along at some point. […]
Current relations between Pakistan and Europe are defined by cooperation. Through humanitarian and supply assistance offered, European states are also working with Islamabad in collaborating on development projects as a form for debt relief to Pakistan. This cooperation comes with Pakistan’s commitment to democracy and successes in uprooting terrorism.