Read the statement on the DAC-CSO Reference Group website here.

Today, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced that over the course of 2020 DAC donors allocated 161.2 billion USD of official development assistance (ODA), more commonly known as ‘development aid’. This is a 3.5% increase in real terms, which is a welcome, but modest step. Despite the long-standing commitment to contribute 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) towards ODA, the 2020 figures show that only 32 cents for every $100 in national income was allocated to addressing global development and humanitarian challenges. Such low ODA levels are both economically unwise and morally flawed, given the current pandemic and interconnected crises, including climate change, conflict, fragility, and rising poverty and inequalities. 

Covid-19 is not a fleeting crisis  – it has already left a lasting impact on all aspects of our societies, disrupting 25 years of global progress against poverty and inequalities in a matter of months. The world’s most marginalised are disproportionately affected. COVID-19 is pushing an estimated 150 million people into extreme poverty, and 137 million to the brink of starvation, representing an increase of over 80% in acute hunger since before the pandemic began.  

Before the pandemic, donors were already off-track to achieve their international aid commitments. The consequences of COVID-19 requires the DAC community to considerably increase its ODA levels. ODA is a vital resource for supporting those most in need to help counter the negative trends coming from the pandemic, compounded by the climate emergency and persisting conflicts and fragility. In 2020, DAC donors prioritised their national responses towards Covid at the expense of international aid. This 2021, a substantial and immediate increase in ODA levels must be the top priority to ensure the achievement of the 2030 Agenda on time. Now is the time to move beyond mainly protecting existing aid budgets as the released figures show.

76 civil society organisations across the world are calling on DAC members to fulfill and exceed the 0.7% target for ODA and the 0.15% to 0.2% target for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), prioritising unconditional grants and technical support. We urge the DAC to work with the experience of partner countries, DAC members and other stakeholders to ramp up the role of aid in support of health, education, social protection, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention in the midst of this unfinished crisis. Furthermore, we call on donors to uphold the integrity of ODA, building on decades of lessons for effective development cooperation, and to uphold human rights and development effectiveness principles.

Media contact : 

Matthew Simonds, Global Coordinator DAC-CSO Reference Group: [email protected] 

Mark Pascual, Media Coordinator DAC-CSO Reference Group: [email protected] 

Signed by:

1. ACEP - Associação para a Cooperação Entre os Povos, Portugal
2. Act Church of Sweden, Sweden
3. Act Alliance, Global
4. ActionAid International, Global
5. Action Santé Mondiale, France
6. Aid Watch Canada, Canada
7. AKÜ - Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation, Estonia
8. Alliance Sud, Switzerland
9. Ambrela, Slovakia
10. AQOCI - Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale, Canada
11. Bond - the International Development Network, United Kingdom
12. Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canada
13. Canadian Lutheran World Relief, Canada
14. Care International, Global
15. Caritas Europa, Regional
16. CBM – Global Disability Inclusion, Global
17. CCEDNet - Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Canada
18. Centre for Research and Advocacy Manipur, India
19. CNCD-11.11.11 - Centre National de Coopération au Développement, Belgium
20. Commonwealth Medical Trust, United Kingdom
21. CONCORD - European NGO confederation for Relief and Development, Regional
22. CONCORD Sweden, Sweden
23. Cooperation Canada, Canada
24. Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, Canada
25. Coordinadora de ONGDs - Spain
26. Coordination Sud, France
27. Council for People's Development and Governance, Philippines
28. Cordaid, the Netherlands
29. CPDE - CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness, Global
30. Crosol, Croatia
31. CSPPS - Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, Global
32. DemNet, Hungary
33. Development and Peace — Caritas Canada, Canada
34. Diakonia, Sweden
35. EILER - The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, Philippines
36. Eurodad - the European Network on Debt and Development, Regional
37. Global Citizen, Global
38. Global Policy Forum, Global
39. Global Responsibility, Austria
40. Grandmothers Advocacy Network, Canada
41. Fingo - Finnish Development NGOs, Finland
42. ForumCiv, Sweden
43. FORS - Czech Forum for Development Cooperation, Czech Republic
44. Ibon Foundation, Philippines
45. Ibon International, Global
46. Inter Pares, Canada
47. Islamic Relief Canada, Canada
48. JANIC - Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation, Japan
49. KAIROS - Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Canada
50. KCOC - Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation
51. KOO - Co-ordination Office of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference for International Development and Mission, Austria
52. McLeod Group, Canada
53. Nash Vek Public Foundation, Kyrgyzstan
54. NEADS - North-East Affected Area Development Society, India
55. ONE, Global
56. Oxfam International, Global
57. PIANGO, Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations, Regional
58. Plataforma ONGD Portuguesa, Portugal
59. Reality of Aid, Global
60. Reality of Aid – Africa, Regional
61. Reality of Aid – Asia and the Pacific, Regional
62. Rihrdo - Rural Infrastructure and Human Resources Development organisation, Pakistan
63. RIPESS - Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy, Global
64. SOCODEVI, Canada
65. Swedish Development Partner, Sweden
66. Taiwan Aid, Taiwan
67. Tanzania Coalition on Debt and Development, Tanzania
68. Tearfund, Canada
69. United Church of Canada, Canada
70. UPADI - UPA Développement International, Canada
71. Veterinarians without Borders, Canada
72. Wemos, the Netherlands
73. WILPF - Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom - Sweden, Sweden
74. Women for Water Partnership, the Netherlands
75. World Accord, Canada
76. World Vision - EU Representation
77. 11.11.11, Belgium