OECD har efter et langvarigt ønske fra Storbritannien og en række andre lande, officielt omdefineret statslig u-landsbistand (ODA) til at omfatte visse former for militærudgifter i sårbare stater, herunder bekæmpelse af voldelig ekstremisme.
Storbritanniens udenrigsministerium skriver således på sin hjemmeside :
The updates to the ODA rules agreed at the 2016 High Level Meeting both better recognise the detrimental impact that conflict, fragility and insecurity have on efforts to tackle poverty and reflect the importance of private sector investment for development. The changes mean that:
- official aid can be used to support the military in fragile countries on issues that promote development, such as human rights and the prevention of sexual violence; this means the international community is better equipped to meet Global Goal 16 which calls for the stronger governance in developing countries to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime
- tackling violent extremism is now formally recognised as a development activity; more than 90% of terrorist attacks occur in states with weak governance and poor human rights records
- donors are incentivised to work more with the private sector to boost economic development and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest countries.
De nye bistandregler blev aftalt på plads d. 19 februar i OECD´s Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
Den britiske udviklingsminister Justine Greening udtaler på regeringens hjemmeside:
“It is firmly in Britain’s national interest to fight disease and conflict and promote global stability which is why the UK government has been at the forefront of work to modernise the international rules which govern how overseas aid is spent.”
En koalition af udviklingorganisationer har været ude og advare om, at den nye aftale kan betyde endnu flere indhug i de allerede svindende bistandsmidler til verdens fattigste, skriver The Guardian.
Bl.a. advarer Oxfam om, at regeringer fremover vil kunne udnytte de nye regler til reelt at camouflere visse militære udgifter som u-landsbistand.
