Reduce the development assistance budget and follow up on taxpayers' money

Of: Andreas Celan

Several cases of failed aid projects show that Sida cannot ensure that the aid money goes where it is supposed to. For this reason, the development assistance budget should be reduced and a larger part of the development assistance money will go to making the necessary investments in Sweden, says Andreas Celan, the Moderate Youth Association in Uppsala.

February 26, 2021, Debate

Africa and the EU are negotiating a new Cotonou agreement

It is time for a new agreement between Africa and the EU. Photo: European Parliament, Flickr

Of: Ismail Bazine and Miguel Largo Vergara 

The Cotonou Agreement, which is under negotiation, regulates the relationship between the EU and the group of states in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. North Africa is not included and the Cotonou Agreement thus overlooks the region's importance for Europe and the rest of Africa in matters of migration and security.

November 13, 2020, Analysis

How can Swedish authorities make a greater difference to development assistance?

In the Western Balkans today, there is a clear objective to meet the requirements of a functioning public administration with a view to EU membership. Photo: Pixabay.

Of: Númi Östlund

Swedish authorities have for many years been one of the major implementers of bilateral aid in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, but also in Africa and Asia. But the authorities often act in the shadows and there is a lack of studies and evaluations around their work, writes Númi Östlund, investigative secretary at the Expert Group for Development Aid Analysis.

October 1, 2020, Analysis

The lasting results of development assistance need to be discussed further

Of: Jan Pettersson and Marcus Burman

The very starting point for international development cooperation is to contribute to lasting change. At the same time, there is often a lack of knowledge about the long-term results of development assistance - after the financing has been completed. Aid must to an increased extent be designed and evaluated with the existing changes in focus, writes the Expert Group for Aid Analysis (EBA).

January 11, 2018, Debate

We need to talk about the purpose of the evaluations

Of: Desmond McNeill, Hilde Reinertsen and Kristian Bjørkdahl

The number of evaluations of development assistance has increased sharply in recent years. Nevertheless, they rarely lead donors to learn anything from them. An open discussion is now needed on the purpose of the evaluations. It is written by three researchers who today publish a report on the subject through the Expert Group for Development Aid Analysis.

May 4, 2017, Debate

New reforms in development assistance behind closed doors

Of: Penny Davies

Discussions are currently underway within the OECD's Development Assistance Committee DAC on what can be counted as development assistance. Today, 9 March, the Committee will take a position on new types of instruments aimed at increasing private sector participation in development assistance. This reform can have very major consequences for development aid and therefore requires in-depth discussion. Otherwise, there is a risk that the reform thumbs up on important principles for aid effectiveness, writes Penny Davies, policy adviser in development financing at Diakonia.

March 9, 2017, Debate

Nurture relationships for increased aid efficiency

Of: Stein-Erik Kruse

Ownership, realism, coherence and relationships with partners are some of the internal factors that need to be given greater attention - and reflection - in bilateral development cooperation. This is shown by a new report from the Expert Group for Development Aid Analysis (EBA), which looks at Sweden's long-term development cooperation with Uganda. The reporting of results must also be reviewed to adapt to real conditions, writes the report's author Stein-Erik Kruse.

October 25, 2016, Debate

Need for greater coordination - a lesson from Afghanistan

Of: Anders Oljelund

"Without security no development and without development no security" is stated in political speeches. But what does that mean in practice? Synergies between security efforts and aid efforts can be found, but it is very complicated and requires careful coordination. Anders Oljelund writes this on the occasion of the ongoing Afghanistan investigation.

June 9, 2016, Debate

The fight for rights cannot be won by military means

Of: Anna Karin Johansson

Despite good intentions, the Western world has not achieved security and development in Afghanistan. One reason for this is that most of the financial support has gone to military operations. In addition, cooperation with the military has damaged the credibility of civilian aid actors, writes Anna-Karin Johansson, Secretary General of the Swedish Afghanistan Committee, in connection with the ongoing Afghanistan investigation.

June 2, 2016, Debate