Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
- Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
- Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
- Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
- Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
from here
Aid is commonly claimed to be helping poorer countries in different ways to 'develop' whilst generally helping to line pockets of companies, contractors and pay aid workers from donating countries. Much of the aid finds its way back to the host countries. If aid is honestly intended to assist these countries then a socialist system would be the far better way to proceed, putting resources and production directly into the hands of the people, that is common ownership and democratic control in the interest of the whole community.
JS
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