2020 marks the first year since 1998 that the global rate of poverty has increased. The COVID-19 pandemic has much to do with that, but it doesn’t help that the EU and its Member States are further off-track than ever in meeting their aid targets. In fact, at the current rate of growth, the EU will not meet the (genuine) aid target before 2070, as revealed by CONCORD’s 2020 AidWatch report.

Since 2005, CONCORD’s annual AidWatch report monitors the quantity and quality of EU Official Development Assistance, or ODA. It holds the EU accountable for their commitment to allocate 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) to ODA by 2030. In 2019, despite an absolute rise of €3 billion, ODA fell for the third consecutive year in proportion to the EU’s GNI. So, the EU was off-track in its support to partner countries even before the global pandemic.

While the knock-on effects of failing to provide enough aid are becoming painfully clear, the report provides recommendations for EU donors to scale-up funding for ODA. Only in that way will we ensure that no one is left behind in the COVID-19 recovery.

Full report is available here: