At the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016 donors agreed, as part of a reform package - the so-called Grand Bargain, to channel one-fourth of humanitarian aid directly to local responders. This has not happened. Donors continue to channel emergency aid via their own national NGOs and international actors, even though locals continue to do much of the job and bear the brunt of the risks associated with operating in war zones.   

Plans are underway for an aid-financed mechanism, the Gavi Covax Advance Market Commitment (AMC), that would provide free or subsidised COVID19 vaccine to almost half the world’s population. Discussions about how it will work and how much it might end up costing have taken place largely behind closed doors. For an initiative that could well claim a significant share of a shrinking global ODA pot, necessarily taking funding away from other needs, the lack of transparency is worrying.

It is a common belief in the aid community that women’s employment can help to reduce intimate partner violence. In a unique research project led by Chr. Michelsen Institute, researchers have followed 1,500 women to find out whether this holds water in the Ethiopian context.

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Swedfund is the winner in the Swedish aid budget proposal for 2020, which indicates a substantial scaling up in funding for the aid-financed investor and more in coming years. Sweden also wants to revitalise the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) and to make oceans a new focus area for the fund. Core funding of UN agencies is at a standstill next year.

The new Social Democratic government taps into the aid pie to fund climate efforts. Danish NGOs want additional funds and will lobby government allies in parliament to increase the aid budget which remains at 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI).

Norway steps up aid to the Sahel region in the aid budget for 2020 and, in an innovative move, provides a NOK 3.1 billion short term loan for Somalia to clear its defaulted World Bank debt.

UN agencies, Africa and NGOs are the winners as the new Finnish government increases aid after four years of austerity and cuts. Finnish aid will reach 0.42 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) next year, but the long-term goal is to raise aid to of 0.7 per cent of GNI.

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