Development aid from 29 of the world’s wealthiest countries hit $142.6 billion in 2016, a 9 percent increase from 2015.
According to statistics published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, almost 2 percent of this rise remained in donor countries, including EU states, to deal with the cost of hosting refugees, which has surged by 27.5% since 2015 to reach $15.4 billion.
The data also shows that aid to the least developed countries fell by 3.9% from 2015, with aid to Africa down by 0.5 percent.Amy Dudd, director of the UK Aid Network, said that while the group welcomed the rise, the figures masked a worrying trend.
“Aid globally might be going up but that is obscuring something quite important – that the increase in aid is not reaching the poorest people. Rather, it is remaining in donor countries, meaning the impact on poverty and sustainability on a global level is not what it might appear from the figures,” said Dudd.
Humanosphere
