MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
McMullan
I am pleased to release the first Annual Review of Development Effectiveness.
The Rudd Government came to office with a commitment not only to increase Australia's overseas aid, in line with the growing contributions of other developed nations, but also to make it more effective.
This requires a continuing priority on review of current performance and research into world's best practice in development assistance.
The review finds that Australian aid activities are well managed and overall achieving good results, with more than three-quarters on track to achieve their objectives in
2006-07, ranging from better budgeting to stronger service delivery.
It also finds that one of the biggest challenges facing Australia's aid program is that around half of its country funding is directed to 'fragile states' in the Asia-Pacific region.
This is more than any other OECD donor.
These fragile states are clearly the areas of greatest need but they are also the areas where tangible results in the short or medium term are hardest to achieve or demonstrate.
Australia has a profound commitment to such nations in the Asia-Pacific region and we will continue to work with them towards greater prosperity and stability. This is a long term exercise and no-one should imagine that results will be quick or easy.
The review identifies five opportunities to strengthen aid effectiveness:
- broadening the ways Australia engages in fragile states
- supporting reform in the larger economies of Asia
- strengthening performance orientation
- getting the most from technical assistance
- meeting gender equality commitments
Work on these issues is already underway, particularly in the context of the Pacific Development Partnerships which the Prime Minister announced during his recent visit to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
We will use the lessons from the review to further improve the program as we meet our commitment to increase overseas aid from 0.3 per cent of national income in 2007-08, to 0.5 per cent by 2015.
Media Contact: Sabina Curatolo (Mr McMullan's Office) 0400 318 205
Jo Elsom (ODE) 0412 804 489
AusAID Public Affairs 0417 680 590