Admittedly, the key to ensuring development in the poorest countries isn’t simply giving more money – as Bush and others say, good governance is important too. Nonetheless the amount the West provides in aid each year is too low by any measure.
The US government’s recent announcement that they will increase aid by 50% from 2004-2007 is therefore welcome, as is the UK’s pledge to provide a “substantial” rise.
To my surprise we in the UK already give .31% of GNP in overseas aid while Canada only provides .25% – but I suspect Canada’s may come with fewer strings attached. It would be nice to see us a bit closer to the .7% target that the UN has given, though.
