By Martha Moss - 25th October 2010
We should brace ourselves for chilly times ahead
Sophia in 't Veld
Policymakers have been urged to safeguard development spending as the debate over the EU budget continues.
Speaking at a Brussels discussion on development aid on Monday, ALDE deputy Sophia in 't Veld warned that the funds were likely to be pared back as national governments sought to control growing deficits.
"We should brace ourselves for chilly times ahead," said in 't Veld, who is president of parliament's working group on reproductive health, HIV/Aids and development.
Her comments came as the German foundation for world population (DSW) and the European parliamentary forum on population and development published 'Euromapping 2010', an annual analysis of Europe's contribution to official development assistance (ODA) on population issues.
The report, which focuses on family planning and the sexual and reproductive health of women, finds that the EU is responsible for almost 65 per cent of global ODA.
However, funding from the European commission and member states were found to lag behind the US when it comes to population assistance.
According to the research, the EU is more than €18bn away from reaching its collective interim target of providing 0.56 per cent of gross national income to ODA.
Dutch MEP in 't Veld, who is also a member of parliament's women's rights committee, said, "We have a huge challenge because much of the money is coming from member states."
Discussions on the post-2013 budget would also be "very important", she added.
"We have to make sure that this appears as a priority and that we get the necessary allocation."
She also called on decision makers to recognise the economic and social benefits of maintaining development spending despite the economic crisis.
"We need to make sure that policymakers understand the need for long-term planning," she said.
"Having a short-term vision and cutting down on ODA on this issue has long-term consequences. This is about investing in the future - it is in our economic interests that Africa gets development.
"It's not in our interest that an entire continent enters a new era of misery and decline."
Neil Datta, of the European parliamentary forum on population and development, said that European public continued to support international development despite the economic crisis.
"Even today, in context of the economic crisis, there is broad public support for international development," he said.
While "there has been a clear decline" in terms of how much richer countries are presenting in ODA as a result of the downturn, he said that the proportion in relation to GDP had actually increased.
"The performance of individual donors has been unpredictable and erratic," Datta added. "Having unpredictable and erratic aid going into your health system prohibits you from medium to long-term planning."
DSW vice executive director Karen Hoehn pointed to figures showing that 358,000 women die each year from pregnancy related causes.
There are also some 215 million women in the world without access to modern methods of family planning, she said. "These funds can help save tremendous pain, suffering and lives," she added.
"This past year has witnessed tremendous commitments to increase spending. However, even these commitments - as worthy as they are - will only get us partly towards meeting the needs."
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