Once again, a cataclysmic disaster has hit an Asian nation. But a well co-ordinated aid response mindful of lessons from other disasters could mean a faster recovery. Last Friday, Typhoon Haiyan (known…
Increased levels of Australian aid to Africa demonstrates the positive effects aid can have on a region.
EPA/Kate Holt
For politicians subject to democratic accountability in today’s media-soaked world, two issues are particularly difficult to deal with. One is the future and the other is global development. More often…
West Papuan refugee Amos Wainggai is on board the Freedom Flotilla, headed for Papuan shores from Australia. What will it mean for our relations with Indonesia?
AAP/Cleo Mary Fraser
Given the extreme sensitivity with which the issue of West Papua is viewed in Indonesia, the “Freedom Flotilla” heading from Australia to the Indonesian-controlled territory is sure to create tension…
Well-targeted aid to countries in need is not just an act of generosity but an essential investment in our future.
AAP
As Australians head to the ballot box we are consumed with issues that are necessarily defined by national borders. However, as Australia takes up the presidency of the Security Council and attends the…
Australia’s foreign aid commitments play an integral role in the nation’s ‘soft power’ and regional security.
Marion Doss
Amidst the controversy over Julie Bishop’s Guardian interview earlier this week, many of the interesting facts about foreign policy under a putative Coalition government were lost. Notably, the opposition’s…
A parliamentary inquiry is reviewing Australian and East Timorese relations, but is it hearing from the right mix of stakeholders?
EPA/Antonio Dasiparu
A parliamentary inquiry examining Australia’s relationship with East Timor is underway and the proceedings so far do not make for comfortable reading. It’s a good time for an inquiry: East Timor successfully…
Bill Gates is in Australia as part of efforts to secure funds for global health initiatives, particularly polio and malaria eradication.
Gates Foundation
Global health campaigner Bill Gates is in Sydney today to lobby prime minister Julia Gillard to spend more money on global health, particularly the fight against malaria and polio. But while money may…
West Papuan activists protesting at the Hague for independence of the Indonesian-held province.
Apdency/Wikimedia Commons
Allegations that Australia is funding death squads in West Papua have brought the troubled province back to Australian attention. Blanket denials by both Indonesian and Australian governments – standard…
Poor Greg Sheridan: he never met a prime minister he couldn’t be besotted with until Julia Gillard came along. Ever since she got the top job, he has been running a campaign designed to demonstrate that…
The rehabilitation of Cambodia’s railways has involved the forced relocation of many families that live along the railway line.
Neil Rickards
In the lead-up to the federal government’s decision to delay the promised increase in the aid budget, a CARE Australia survey found strong public support for Australia’s international aid program. From…
Much of the media commentary surrounding the budget has seized upon so-called “cuts” to Australia’s aid program.
AAP
Reporting on the federal budget has been replete with commentary about “cuts” to foreign aid. But the fact is that the aid program was not cut in any meaningful sense of the word. In nominal terms, aid…
More effective aid has been the focus this year.
AAP/Australian Defence Force Petty Officer Damian Pawlenko
The government has postponed its foreign aid target by a year as part of its 2012 Federal Budget, but has announced a raft of new measures to monitor the effectiveness of Australia’s aid programs. The…
Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa: the building BRICS of a new world order in economics and foreign aid.
Blog do Planalto
On 29 March, the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – will meet in New Delhi for their fourth annual summit. Representing 40% of the global population, 25% of global GDP, and…
Palestinian medics attend to an elderly woman in the shadow of the Israeli wall.
AAP
The United Nations is set to vote on recognising Palestine as an independent state next month. What the chances of the Palestinian initiative succeeding? What implications would recognition of Palestinian…
The US has been in the lead of changing the rhetoric and practice of how the developing world gives aid.
cea b d o/Flickr
Kate Taylor, The University of Melbourne and Rob Moodie, The University of Melbourne
Ever since the global financial crisis, “value for money” has become the slogan of choice for international aid. The Americans have been in the lead, changing the rhetoric and practice of how they give…