'Malta may be inflating aid figures'
The European NGO confederation for relief and development, Concord, is calling on Malta to be more transparent on its overseas development aid and suspects the island is inflating its figures.
In its annual report for 2009, the confederation recommends that the Maltese government should start providing more details about the money being spent to help sub-standard and poor countries and make a clear distinction between development funds and expenses related to irregular immigration.
The report, Aid Watch, claims the aid includes expenses related to irregular migration and students from developing countries, which it says should not be counted as ODA. "Unfortunately, detailed information had not been made available and the real extent of the problem remains unclear," the report states.
Concord and its Maltese affiliate NGO, Skop, said that in 2009 Malta had again failed to give a breakdown of the 0.2 per cent of gross national income (GNI) the island claimed to be allocating to development aid, despite previous calls for such information.
It also complained "there are no traces of the 43 per cent Overseas Development Aid budget increase announced last year".
Under an EU-wide agreement, Malta is meant to increase its ODA levels to 0.33 per cent of GNI by 2015.
Although Malta's overseas development policy included a short section on fostering gender equality, because this was crucial to poverty reduction, the NGOs were still "unaware of programmes or initiatives to implement policy-related gender specific development measures".
Aid transparency is highlighted in the report as one of the main challenges facing Malta. "Despite several requests over the past years, and the commitments made by the government, a breakdown of aid figures has never been made available."
At the same time, the NGOs acknowledged a better relationship with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for Malta's development aid. Over the past two years, the ministry and Skop had engaged in structured dialogue which contributed to improvements in terms of collaboration and exchange of opinions.
A ministry spokesman said it had "nothing new" to add to what it had already said in the past on development aid and referred the newspaper to reports it had issued highlighting the main areas where development aid was being spent.
Malta and Cyprus were the only two of the EU's new member states that had already met their ODA target for 2010, it said, adding that the island's ODA disbursements increased from 0.13 per cent of GNI in 2003 to 0.2 per cent in 2009.
Among the beneficiaries last year were Unicef, the UN general trust fund for Somalia and the Red Cross. NGO projects in various parts of the world also benefitted from Maltese development funds including in the Palestinian territories, Kenya, Peru and Ethiopia, the ministry said.
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lgalea
Jun 18th 2010, 14:23
Concord you just mind your own business and give them YOUR money and the Capitalists money because we do not even have enough for ourselves.
i.cilia
Jun 18th 2010, 15:10
Galea
for once i actually agree with you on this 100%
they are after all an NGO, not elected by any citizen but just a lobby group looking after its own interests...
you have no right to dictate to any sovereign nation how much it contributes... !!!!!!
B. Cachia
Jun 18th 2010, 13:38
The difference between NGOs and the Maltese Government is that the latter was democratically elected and represents the interests of a whole community while the former represent, at best, nothing more than a handful of dreamers who may have misguidedly convinced themselves that they are morally and intellectually superior to everyone else.
As for development aid, it would be interesting to see a list of the countries that it has lifted out of poverty. As in everything else, the only thing that seems to work is taking responsibility for oneself and making hard choices. Handouts and well-intentioned aid schemes only seem to make things worse for the poor, both domestically and internationally.
Louise Vella
Jun 18th 2010, 13:32
What we need is more transparency in the finances of NGOs. They multiply because each one of them wants subsidies from the government and the EU. Could they be more transparent? Could they merge into one to minimize administrative and other costs?
Sean Grima
Jun 18th 2010, 14:24
that is their business, not yours.
Robert Callus
Jun 18th 2010, 20:15
Why are you so obsessed with the finances of anyone whose goals you disagree with? How about talking about the real thing when it comes to financing: POLITICAL PARTY FINANCING. THAT will rule out corruption. Obviously the PLPN love people with your obsession.
D.Galea
Jun 18th 2010, 13:26
A nice way of saying Thank you... oh don't bother mentioning it Concord.
R. Caruana
Jun 18th 2010, 12:29
Who are these guys to comment on how much aid we give to foreigners?
Do they know that Malta has the higher percentage rate of missionairies working all over the world, working with money and material collected from Malta most of the time for their activities? Or does that not count? One would be correct to say that Malta's contribution in this field is second to none.
Louise Vella
Jun 18th 2010, 12:27
“Concord and its Maltese affiliate NGO, Skop”
What exactly is Skop? Is it a Maltese group of NGOs? If so, which ones? How many persons do they actually represent? Who are their members? Is there any double counting in their membership? How are the NGOs financed? By whom? Have they been elected? By whom? What gives them the right to speak in our name?
In this time of economic crisis and rising utility tariffs, is Malta not doing more than enough to help others? Charity begins at home.
Sean Grima
Jun 18th 2010, 14:24
you attempts to discredit voluntary NGO only serve to discredit you and your hidden agenda.
B. Cachia
Jun 18th 2010, 15:37
@ Sean Grima: Believe it or not, not all those who hold an opinion different from your own have a hidden agenda or are inherently evil. As for the point made by Ms. Vella, I believe few people in the NGOs themselves would deny that they represent a very very small minority. This doesn't automatically mean that they're always wrong (although in fact they do manage to be flat wrong most of the time, thanks to their highly ideological worldview). But it does mean that their opinions are their own and should be given no more weight than those of other private citizens. If they managed to get themselves elected to Parliament then their position would be quite different.
Malcolm Borg
Jun 18th 2010, 18:44
Hi Ms. Vella, You may want to do some research: http://www.inizjamed.org/skop.htm
Sergio Galea Vincenti
Jun 18th 2010, 12:12
When I was young, I was always taught that if I were to make a donation, not to show it and not to look at what others were doing and just do what my duty and conscience told me. Living in Malta, I have grown up with charities, causes and missionary funds of all shapes and sizes asking for contribution. I think few people shall disagree that the Maltese are generous and we have taken this noble trait for granted.
As has been taken for granted the fact that whether our money is paid by government from our taxes or is sent abroad directly by charitable organisations, NGOs or through the money sent via money transfer services by immirgants here in Malta, I believe that Malta's share goes way beyond the 0.2% of gross GDP that Concord and Skop are throwing at our faces.
I'd better cut off here because otherwise I won't be as charitable in the other comments I would like to say but I'll say this: Rather than looking at Malta and the Maltese - who - per capita - are chargd with one of the highest concenrtrations of asylum seekers, why don't these NGO look elsewhere?
J Farrugia
Jun 18th 2010, 11:51
Malta is not bound to help foreigners when Malta's coffers are almost empty. In this economical situation all aid is to help the maltese citizens to overcome their finanacila problems.
wally vella-zarb
Jun 18th 2010, 12:33
According to what is written in the article above: "Under an EU-wide agreement, Malta is meant to increase its ODA levels to 0.33 per cent of GNI by 2015."
Which means that we ARE bound, since we do form part of the EU.
Tony Zahra
Jun 18th 2010, 14:38
fejn jaqblilhom dawn tal-labour isemmuha l-EU. Ara qabel kienu u ghadhom sla-lum xettici fuqha anzi ghandhom parti mill-partit taghhom bil-qawwa kontra l-Ewropa imma ghal flus l-ewropa Josef Cuschieri qed iwerzaq li ser ihalluh barra mis-siggu li suppost ghandhu fil-PE. Meta ser tkunu darba konsistenti fi kliemkom u f'ghemilkom?
wally vella-zarb
Jun 18th 2010, 16:27
@ Zahra
X’għandha x’taqsam il-politika? Farrugia qal li Malta mhux obbligata li tgħin. Jien għedtlu li, skond ma hemm miktub fl-artiklu, jeżisti ftehim fost il membri kollha tal-UE li jridu jagħtu għajnuna, jiģifieri Malta, la hi membru sħiħ tal-UE, hi obbligata wkoll. F’hiex daħal il-Labour?
ASpiteri
Jun 18th 2010, 11:33
Good move by the government then...Foreign Aid is only taxpayers’ money down the drain!
C gatt
Jun 18th 2010, 11:46
that's what i love about Catholic Malta: 'I'm alright, **** you Jack!'
Albert Farrugia
Jun 18th 2010, 11:50
....with the result that more immigrants will knock on our door hoping for a better life.....
the shortsightedness and insularity of some Maltese beggars belief...does NOONE ever watch foreign news, read foreign papers, magazines??? Is the Maltese nation's only cultural and information input nowadays supplied only by Xarabank and Bondi+, Realita and TX?? God help us
David Muscat
Jun 18th 2010, 12:52
A Spiteri, you should have said that when Malta survived on foreign Aid in the early post war, and in the 60s
lgalea
Jun 18th 2010, 14:25
C gatt would you allow your family to go hungry just to give to others? And stop bringing in Catholic into the equation. It has been abused for so long that it has lost all its meaning.
ASpiteri
Jun 18th 2010, 15:53
@C Gatt... Beside the fact that i’m not poisoned with the idea of altruism that catholic cretinism preaches...what about charity begins at home?
@Albert Farrugia...do u truly believe that by wasting taxpayers money in Africa would actually halt the mass invasion by 3rd world nations? I guess ur the one watching the wrong type of media! And no...i’m no fan of local media, especially of Peppi and Lou!
@David Muscat...thanks for mentioning this point! It is actually a great example to prove how Foreign Aid is nonsense. Indeed our country received foreign aid, but in a few years we managed to pull ourselves together and become independent in less than 2 decades. Africa has been receiving trillions of dollars for decades, yet their situation is getting worse every year. Pouring in more money in the black continent won’t solve a thing. We need to leave these countries alone, just as we did with China and India, who from 3rd world nations have become world powers by simply liberalise their markets!
jimi Xerri
Jun 18th 2010, 11:22
Do the figures include the innumerable number of voluntary work being carried out in Malta and abroad in aid to the needy! I'm sure not!!
Can somebody quantify the expenses carried out?!
Luke Rocco
Jun 18th 2010, 13:29
These expenses are not by any ways subsidised by the government. All these expenses that you mention are either collected from donations from the general public, or are incurred directly by those who actually do Voluntary Work. Thus, the government cannot claim those to be part of the Overseas Development Aid.
Eric Gahn
Jun 18th 2010, 11:21
What? The Government of Malta playing around with numbers? This is a lie. A LIE IS SAY. Shame on you Concord. Our PN led government is not capable of such deceit.
l fenech
Jun 18th 2010, 11:18
Inflating aid figures ma tgharax!
P.Cassar
Jun 18th 2010, 10:57
BUT HAVEN'T WE ALL HEARD THIS SOMEWHERE IN OTHER SPHERES !!!!
ARE THESE THE VERY FIRST SHADES OF GREECE????
GONZIPN IS NOW BEING CAUGHT DAILY.
Joseph Cauchi
Jun 18th 2010, 11:35
@P. Cassar,
Why are people like you so forward-looking and wishing in seeing our Malta touch the bottom of the barrel in its financial position?
What makes such people to hate our Malta so much?
Please rest assured, that your “worries” are not going to be materialised, because Malta’s financial position is the envy of most of our EU neighbours.
JC.
Pat Hobson
Jun 18th 2010, 13:09
It seems you haven't read yesterday's EU's report on our finances. Because if you had you'll see we're driving headlong into a wall!
lgalea
Jun 18th 2010, 14:28
Joseph Cauchi hekk tixtieq imma mhux qed jirnexxilkom tibqgħu tingannaw lill-poplu għax issa jaf x'inthom. Is-sitwazzjoni hija mill-agħar u mwiergħa għall-aħħar u l-poplu jaqbillu jżomm id-deheb u dak kollu li għandu għax Malta falluta flimkien mal-pajjiżi l-oħra tal-ewro u l-ewro dalwaqt jispiċċa.
P.Cassar
Jun 18th 2010, 17:30
@ J Cauchi We are surely NOT pulling Malta down to the bottom but Gonzipn surely is and people like you are helping him knowingly or unknowingly !!!!!