By Nina Mäki, Advocacy and Policy Officer, Kepa - The Finnish NGO Platform and Jeroen Kwakkenbos, the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)
Also published on Euractiv.
Just as the EU is trumpeting its continuing commitment to
development cooperation, it is being undermined. And by one of its most
reliable members, Finland,
which has announced it will cut its aid budget by almost half.
On May 26
the EU reaffirmed its collective commitment to dedicate 0.7% of gross
national income (GNI) to Official Development Assistance (ODA) when it published its position ahead of next month’s
Financing for Development Summit. The Finnish decision to make 43% of cuts from
development cooperation funds just two weeks later (reducing its ODA
contribution to 0.35% GNI) could not have come at a worse time. It is a serious
blow to the EU’s credibility in a year when several major summits will decide
the future of international development.
Finnish ODA: The
highs and lows
While Finland has lagged behind its Nordic neighbours in
achieving the 0.7% target, it did reach 0.75% in 1991. But dramatic cuts in
subsequent years meant that by 1994, Finnish aid plummeted to 0.29%, and it
took nearly 15 years to recover from this slump.
By 2014, it stood at 0.6%, or 1.2 billion euros. If the new
cuts are implemented Finnish aid will fall to an average of 0.35%, cut by more
than 300 million euros all in one go. Incredibly, at the same time, the
government’s program states that it is reaffirming Finland´s “long term
commitment” to reach the 0.7% target.
The human cost
Finland’s government must realise that what it sees as a way
to balance its budget has serious implications for the health and livelihoods
of the poorest and most marginalised people in the world. Finnish aid has made
a significant difference, particularly in education, agricultural development,
gender equality, peace building and crises management as well as in politically
sensitive topics such as reproductive rights and disability issues. Many of
Finland´s long term partner countries – Mozambique, Tanzania and Ethiopia among
others – know Finland as a reliable, transparent and trustworthy partner. Poor
countries have emphasised the importance of this sustained and
predictable financing.
A recent independent evaluation of Finnish aid found that
Finland “provides value for money and makes important contributions […] to some
of the poorest countries in the world.”
In Ethiopia, Finnish aid money was used to build more than
10,000 wells, providing clean drinking water to over 2.5 million Ethiopians. In
Mozambique, Finland is a strong supporter of the education sector. In 2012 over
72 % of Mozambican children started school. Only ten years earlier the same
number was as low as 36%.
It is difficult to believe that the Finnish people would
accept putting all of this at risk. Such abrupt and dramatic cuts would not
only jeopardise future work, but also progress already made. Over
80% of Finns consider development cooperation important. Thousands of
people donate time and money to development cooperation carried out by Finnish
civil society organisations
With the drastic cuts being proposed by the Finnish
government this record of achievement would be all but discarded.
If the planned cuts are implemented, many NGOs´ work will
simply cease to exist. Many valued organisations raising awareness in Finland
fear for their future. The government has announced a total freeze of the
funding supporting global education projects for the time being.
Finland's reputation among partner countries in Africa, Asia
and Latin America could also be negatively affected by the planned ODA cuts.
What does this mean for the EU?
Three major
summits this year will discuss many important issues related to eradicating
poverty and ensuring environmental sustainability. During negotiating sessions
ahead of next month’s UN conference on Financing for Development, the EU has
highlighted its achievements as a provider of development aid to establish
itself as a credible partner. Meanwhile, it has sidelined other important areas
that are important to poverty reduction and need reform, such as tax justice
and debt resolution.
Finland has
now shown the world that what Europe has been trumpeting as its greatest
strength is at best a bluff and at worst a sign of self-delusion, as the
difference between what it says and what it does grows larger and larger. What
is apparent is that the EU and the OECD DAC are unable to hold their members
accountable to the commitments they make to development.
The message being sent is quite clear. Self-interest has
trumped solidarity. This decision is not just bad for Finland, it is bad for
everyone.
Vacancies
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