THE Philippines received the third highest Official Development Assistance (ODA) globally from bilaterals and multilaterals between 2020 and 2021, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Based on OECD data on ODA gross disbursements, the Philippines received $1.557 billion, and 47 percent of this or $729 million was Covid-19-related aid between 2020 and 2021.
However, ODA to low-middle income countries like the Philippines, excluding Covid-19 assistance, contracted 11 percent between 2019 and 2021.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine is changing the scale, intensity and type of needs in low- and middle-income countries. Coupled with rising demand for humanitarian resources spurred by disasters and other conflicts, ODA budgets are under severe strain and trade-offs for the world’s poorest people are becoming evident,” OECD said in its latest report.
Based on the OECD report, the top recipient was Bangladesh with $1.206 billion for Covid-19 followed by Indonesia with $904 million. This was followed by the Philippines as well as Morocco at $693 million and India with $686 million.
“The increased role of multilaterals has not pushed the composition of Covid-19-related support towards higher levels of loans,” the report stated. “Covid-19-related aid has accounted for a large share of some recipient countries’ total ODA received over the period.”
ODA by Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries amounted to $204 billion in 2022, representing an increase of 13.6 percent in real terms over 2021.
This, OECD said, is one of the highest recorded ODA growth rates at a time of economic uncertainty. ODA amounted to 0.36 percent of DAC countries’ collective gross national income (GNI), the highest ratio in 40 years.
DAC member countries spent $3.7 billion on Covid-19 control in 2020, or 23 percent of total ODA for Covid-19.
This rose to $11.1 billion in 2021, representing 51 percent of total ODA for Covid-19. In 2022, spending on Covid-19 control stood at $7 billion. The sharp increase in 2021 was driven by vaccine donations, which represented $6.4 billion.
Excluding vaccine donations, the share of Covid-19 control in overall Covid-19-related aid remained stable at around 21 percent.
For multilateral organizations, the share of Covid-19-control spending within total Covid-19 activities rose from 0.5 percent in 2020 to 15 percent in 2021.
“Excluding vaccine donations, ODA in 2021 for Covid-19 control amounted to $4.7 billion. Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the US were the top five DAC-country donors, representing over two-thirds of total DAC aid provided for Covid-19 control other than vaccines,” the report stated.
World Bank on education
Over the weekend, the World Bank said its Board of Executive Directors approved a $110-million loan to implement the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP).
The project will benefit nearly 2 million elementary school students and over 60,000 teachers and school leaders in Mindanao, including in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“Education is a key driver of development, as it equips people with the knowledge and skills they need to participate in the work force, contribute to the economy, and improve their standard of living,” said Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.
The TEACEP aims to improve learning outcomes for children in kindergarten to grade 6 (K-6). It will do this by delivering professional development opportunities to teachers through a comprehensive coaching and professional development program.
Under the program, school leaders and supervisors will be trained so as to better support and guide teachers in their instructional practices.
Image credits: Liskonogaleksey | Dreamstime.com
