Striving Against Opposition

The UN wants us to give more of our money to foreign countries

The United Nations thinks that the richer nations of the world ought to be giving more money to developing nations in aid. The UN evidently believes that developed nations should all meet their 0.7% of GDP target of aid to the developing world, which translates into

countries must double annual aid to $135 billion US in 2006, rising to $195 billion US by 2015.

Of course being a lot of socialist bureaucrats who wrought the report they think coming up with 195 billion dollars ought to be easy as the world's annual military budget is 900 billion. However, if anyone is seriously expecting the UN's advice to be taken I would suggest not holding your breath. The US the world's largest donor of aid, although apparantly not proportionally so, isn't particularly impressed with the United Nations at the moment and perhaps it will suggest that the UN should find some of the money Saddam passed along to them. Not to mention the fact that a budget deficit and an ongoing war makes it more difficult to raise the money. Given that the US is unlikely to open its coffers for this purpose anytime soon and the precarious economic situation Europe is currently in, I doubt there will be much movement on this.

Bono can lobby as many world leaders as he wants, however, the fact of the matter is that the people who you need to vote for you aren't in Asia, Africa or South America they are in your home country. A small bit of charity is necessary to keep up appearances, however, a few millions here and a few millions there and pretty soon even by government methods of accounting your talking about some real money. Furthermore, alot of this aid is simply wasted due to rampant corruption and crime in developing nations. Sending aid through various agencies or to their government sounds like a great idea until it begins to line the pockets of whatever generalissimo decides to pilfer the supplies. Aid and investment can begin to have a theuraputic influence on the developing world once they clean up their own act..until then its simply a situation of treading water or inching slightly ahead.

posted by Chris @ 1/17/2005 05:25:00 p.m.