Pacific Islands the world’s most aid-reliant region, report finds
Al JazeeraAustralia is the largest donor to the islands, providing about 40 percent of total development finance from 2008-2021. The Pacific Islands are the world’s most aid-reliant region, according to a new survey, as geopolitical competition for influence fuels record levels of development assistance. Between 2008 and 2021, the Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map found that the Pacific Islands received more than $40bn in development assistance, with development finance playing a more significant role in these economies than any other part of the world. “Pacific Island countries are home to some of the smallest, most remote, and internally dispersed populations in the world, posing significant challenges to realising more traditional development pathways”, said Alexandre Dayant, Deputy Director of the Lowy Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre. While Australia and Japan significantly increased development support in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic, China shifted to “downsized, more politically targeted” aid, directing $241m to countries it had recently formed ties with, the report said.
History of this topic
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