Press release
05 April 2007
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Swedish development assistance again above one per cent
On 3 April, the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) published preliminary statistics on development assistance from all the member countries.
In 2006, Swedish development assistance amounted to 1.03 per cent of gross national income (GNI). This is a strong increase compared with 2005, when the share was 0.94 per cent. This is due to a general increase in Swedish development assistance and an increase in bilateral debt relief.
However, the report shows that the total level of development assistance from DAC member countries has not increased in a corresponding manner. The overall aid flow from DAC member countries has fallen.
"The statistics show that Sweden has taken its responsibility and fulfilled the commitments made at the 2002 Monterrey Conference. I would especially like to point out that our bilateral support to Africa, excluding debt relief, increased by some 15 per cent in 2006," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.
"It is worrying that the total level of development assistance from DAC member countries has fallen. It will require major efforts for us to jointly achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015."
"The substantial increase in the volume of Swedish development assistance makes it increasingly urgent to ensure high efficiency and performance. This is why I have given this work priority since I took office as minister."
