$54 billion funding gap for family planning, reproductive health and HIV & AIDS ahead of MDGs deadline

Euromapping 2013 – The Definitive Guide to Global Population Assistance is launched today (26 November) by DSW (Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung) and EPF (European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development) at the European Development Days, and has a stark message: five years on from the start of the financial crisis, global development assistance continues to suffer. The result is that the international community is in real danger of not meeting the 2015 funding targets set by the Millennium Development Goals. The full Euromapping 2013 Report may be downloaded here.

ODA decreasing

Total Overall Development Aid (ODA) from OECD countries dropped by 4% to $125.9bn in 2012, reaching levels last seen in 2007. The majority of international and European donors continue to renege on their commitment to increase ODA to 0.7% GNI by 2015; only Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden reached or exceeded this target in 2012.

Development budgets were slashed in 15 countries in 2012, with those hardest hit by the crisis among those implementing the harshest cuts: Italy (down 24.7%), Greece (17%) and Portugal (13.1%), and, most precipitously, Spain (49.7%). Despite this, however, the European Commission and EU member states collectively remain the largest donors, providing 50% of all global ODA in 2012.

Funding for population sssistance stalling

Funding for family planning, reproductive health and HIV and AIDS, collectively known as population assistance, has been severely impacted by cuts to development budgets, and funding has stalled since 2007. The majority of international donors, including all EU member states, are failing to honour their commitment to set aside 10% of all ODA for population assistance. The EU continues to fall behind the USA – which contributes 20% of its ODA – in terms of both absolute and relative contributions to population assistance, of all its funding on population assistance.

$54bn funding gap

“By failing to meet their international aid commitments, countries are failing the world’s most vulnerable people,” said EPF Secretary Neil Datta. “Inadequate funding has real world consequences for people in the world’s poorest countries. We are now seeing, for example, evidence that condom use is on the decline in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Euromapping concludes that if donors are to honour their commitments to population assistance by the 2015 deadline, an additional $54bn is needed to make up for current shortfalls – particularly for reproductive health and family planning services.

“The international system relies on states doing what they say they will do,” said DSW Executive Director Renate Baehr. “Population assistance funding saves lives: it forms the front line in the fight against AIDS, it reduces maternal and infant mortality, and it combats violence against women. Ahead of 2015, there is still time for countries to keep their promises on ODA commitments.”

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