The Independent Review of Australia's Aid Program was recently released this week.
RESULTS International (Australia) will soon put out a media release on the review.
James Ensor, Oxfam Australia's director of public policy, believes that Australian aid needs to look at how it can make sure poor people have a greater role in their development. He recently wrote in the National Times:
Critically, the government's aid review also highlights the importance of people – rather than countries – as the focus of Australian aid. The welcome mandate for a re-energised Australian aid program is that the fundamental purpose of aid is to help people overcome poverty.
Australian aid needs to look at how it can make sure poor people have a greater role in their own development. This means giving them a chance to speak out with their own governments, and through local and national parliaments. Encouragingly, the government's response to the aid review acknowledges this and could provide a platform for poor communities and civil society in developing countries to more effectively have a say in decisions affecting them.
Increasing the accountability and transparency of Australian aid is another welcome feature of the aid review. A new Transparency Charter will enable the Australian public to have greater access to information about the effectiveness of our aid program, and a raft of measures designed to demonstrate the results of the aid program to Australian taxpayers will be implemented. In pursuing this agenda in Australia, we must not forget the importance of our aid program also being accountable to the people we are delivering aid to. This means providing accessible, meaningful information about the aid program to the people who stand to benefit from it.
Do you agree with Mr Ensor and the direction Australian aid is currently heading?
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