Luxembourg is a generous aid donor and solid ally to partner countries | WPN World People News

Already one of the most generous providers of aid, Luxembourg has strengthened its development co-operation in recent years. It could build on this by setting out a clear vision for the future that factors in new risks of instability in fragile countries and ensures no vulnerable groups are overlooked, according to a new OECD Review.

The DAC Peer Review of Luxembourg says that concentrating official development assistance (ODA) on a limited number of countries and social sectors, and being focused on the effectiveness of its aid, enables Luxembourg to maximise its visibility, impact and international influence. Partner countries praise the predictability and flexibility of its aid.

Luxembourg is the second most-generous donor in the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) after Norway, sending 1% of its gross national income as ODA in 2016. That compares with a DAC average of 0.32% and a UN target of 0.7% which only six DAC members have reached. Luxembourg is also one of the few to have reached a target to send 0.20% of GNI as ODA to least-developed countries, and unusual in that it does not count the cost of hosting refugees within its borders or funds for combating climate change as ODA.

“Luxembourg’s unwavering commitment to development aid, which it keeps separate from funding for refugees and climate finance, sets an example to other DAC members,” said DAC Chair Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. “Looking ahead, Luxembourg could use its experience in green finance to explore possibilities offered by its financial sector to mobilise additional funding and partnerships for development.”

The Review says Luxembourg fully implemented 11 and partially implemented five of 17 recommendations in a 2012 DAC Peer Review. Among changes, Luxembourg strengthened its development presence on the ground and delegated authority to regional offices.

Luxembourg, which had the highest per-capita income of OECD countries in 2016 and strong public support for development co-operation, provided USD 384 million in ODA in 2016, up from 363 million in 2015. In 2015, Luxembourg programmed 62% of its aid at country level, sending 59% to sub-Saharan Africa and 52% to least-developed countries. Around half of Luxembourg’s bilateral aid goes into health, education and local development. The top five recipients of Luxembourg’s aid in 2015 were Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Cabo Verde. Luxembourg also has a strong track record on humanitarian aid.

Each DAC member is reviewed every five years in order to monitor its performance, hold it accountable for past commitments and recommend improvements. Reviews use input from officials in the Review country and partner countries – Senegal for this Review – as well as civil society and the private sector.

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development