December 4301
The Terran Poverty Relief Assocation (TPRA) based in Haldor, Dorvik, has issued a hard-hitting report, condemning Terra's wealthiest countries for "not spending nearly enough money on tackling the problems faced by the poorest people in the world" and "displaying a distinct lack of drive and imagination when it comes to addressing the challenges".
The report recommended that all of the countries with economies assessed to be "Very Strong" or "Strong" by the Zardic Institute of International Relations should commit themselves to spending a minimum of 1% of their GDP on overseas aid by the year 4320, urging that "preferably, they should invest much more in aid, particularly the countries with the most powerful economies".
Bettina Hoenigsberg, the Chief Executive of the TPRA, has written to the World Congress, urging governments to discuss this proposal, and asking the Security Council to pass an official resolution encouraging governments to do everything they can to meet and ideally exceed the target. However, she also argued it is "important to make sure aid spending is spent efficiently, and doesn't get squandered away on waste or corruption" and that "governments need to work together to co-ordinate their aid programs, to make them as effective as possible". She cautioned against the practice of governments offering "aid-for-trade" deals, or offering aid in exchange for political favours, warning that "these kind of arrangements are not always healthy, and often prove not to be the best way of trying to help the people we are trying to reach". She also urged that "overseas aid must be combined with giving poorer nations better trading terms on the international market", and condemned the "structure of the global economic system" for "giving the poor of the world a bad deal, again and again and again".
Several governments were "named and shamed" in the report for their low overseas aid spending, especially Vanuku, which is one of Terra's richest countries yet spends only 0.17% of its GDP on overseas aid, and Zardugal, a nation with an economy ranked "Strong" which only gives 0.02% of its GDP in overseas aid.
Here are some statistics from the report...
Overseas Aid Budget as a % of GDP for "Very Strong" economic powers
Meeting the target
Kazulia -1.01%
Not meeting the target
Istalia - 0.79%
Dorvik - 0.75%
Vanuku - 0.17%
Overseas Aid Budget as a % of GDP for "Strong" economic powers
Meeting the target
Trigunia - 2.21%
Kalistan - 1.34%
Not meeting the target
Hutori - 0.82%
Malivia - 0.78%
Rutania 0.71%
Selucia - 0.70%
Lodamun - 0.68%
Narikaton - 0.61%
Aloria - 0.41%
New Endralon - 0.34%
Indrala - 0.31%
Luthori - 0.24%
Baltusia - 0.20%
Zardugal - 0.02%
OOC: As readers may have guessed, these figures were gathered based on the in-game budget pages, comparing the GDP figures to the "Foreign Affairs" spending. Crossing my fingers I haven't f**ked up any of the maths. Never said I could add up but I did my best...