Greek official development assistance was USD 508 million, amounting to 0.17% of its national income, in 2010. By volume, this represents a 28% fall over the past 2 years, from USD 703 million in 2008 and USD 607 million in 2009.

 

In its Review of the Development Co-operation Policies and Programmes of Greece, the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which groups the worlds largest donors, recognises the constraints the country is facing as it attempts to recover from the economic crisis. However, the Review does make recommendations that will help Greece build a modern aid system.

 

Greece’s development programme needs to focus more on results and quality. It should also co-ordinate better among the ministries involved; DG Hellenic Aid has the legal mandate to oversee development co-operation but no say in the development activities financed by 14 Greek ministries. In addition, Greek aid would have greater impact if spent in fewer countries, through fewer organisations.

 

To rectify these shortcomings, Greece is drafting new legislation and a 5-year programme to build a new effective aid system. The recommendations of the DAC Review will feed into this new legislation and programme:

• During the drafting process, consult with the parliament, government and civil society to ensure their buy-in;
• The 5-year programme should be a binding government-wide medium-term strategy for development co-operation that includes all activities and makes all ministries accountable;
• Ensure that all domestic and international policies are coherent with development goals;
• Strengthen and restructure DG Hellenic Aid by streaming the administration, focusing on fewer countries and larger programmes, investing in training and retaining development professionals, and evaluating results.

 

Greece’s reforms aim at adopting modern, efficient and effective development assistance policies to ensure a more transparent and demand-driven delivery of aid.

 

To obtain a copy of the OECD’s Review of the Development Co-operation Policies and Programmes of Greece, journalists should e-mail news.contact@oecd.org

 

For further information about the Review, please contact: Karen Jorgensen in the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate:  Karen.Jorgensen@oecd.org  or by phone: 33 (0) 1 45 24 14 01