By Miriam Gathigah

BUSAN, South Korea, Nov 29, 2011 (IPS) – Poor countries have depended on rich nations to supplement their sector budget without which millions of people would have continued to live in abject poverty. Have the years of funding made these countries any less dependent?  Continue Reading

By Daan Bauwens

Zambia has recently been categorised as a middle-income country, yet two-thirds of the country's population live on less than two dollars per day. Credit: Ephraim Nsingo/IPS

BRUSSELS, Oct 31, 2011 (IPS) – Last week the European Commission unveiled its ‘Agenda for Change’, a new policy framework outlining priorities for the European Union’s development aid and detailing the Commission’s renewed focus on economic growth as a means of poverty reduction, particularly in the world’s poorest countries. Continue Reading

Analysis by Daan Bauwens

BRUSSELS, Sep 10, 2011 (IPS) – The European Commission has decided to push for more ambitious reforms ahead of the aid effectiveness summit to be held in Busan later this year. The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is looking for a common EU position that could save the EU 4 billion euros which can be spent on additional aid. Continue Reading

By Peter Richards

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Mar 29, 2011 (IPS) – The newly elected chair of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA), Montserrat’s Chief Minister Reuben Meade, wants “trade rather than aid” to form the basis of the future relationship between Europe and its colonies around the world.
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