Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Get Ready for a UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali
The government of Mali, ECOWAS, and the United States are all pressing for a robust UN peacekeeping mission to replace the French-led international force. Chances are the French will stay in the country to conduct counter-terrorism operations, though not as part of the peacekeeping mission. The plan around which the UN is coalescing would transition the 7,000 AFISMA troops into an 11,500-strong UN peacekeeping force of which there will also be a parallel counter-terrorism contingent. The key question is when will the force deploy. Right now, the US does not think the conditions are just right. (Voice of America http://bit.ly/11ohV4u)
Aid Spending in OECD Countries Down for Second Year in a Row
Yet more evidence that austerity measures in donor countries are having a big impact on foreign aid. “Spending on development aid by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries fell by 4% in real terms last year, following a 2% reduction in 2011. Figures published today reveal that the 25 members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee provided a total of $125.7 bn in net Overseas Development Assistance in 2012 – equivalent to 0.29% of their combined gross national income. This compares with $133.7 bn in 2011, equivalent to 0.31% of their GNI. Since a peak in 2010, ODA has now fallen by 6% in real terms, with last year showing the biggest drop since 1997.” (Public Finance International http://bit.ly/11ofwqn)