Dóchas reacts to CONCORD AidWatch 2024 report

Dóchas says this year’s influential AidWatch report, which is released this morning, shows that there is a real issue across Europe with domestic refugee costs being counted as overseas development assistance (ODA), and Ireland has to be very careful to avoid that.

The 2024 AidWatch report, released today by CONCORD, exposes the stark contrast between the narrative pushed by EU institutions and governments and the reality behind the ODA figures they report.

The report uncovers how EU Member States inflate and divert ODA figures by channelling funds towards national economic and political objectives. Over one in every five euros reported as ODA by the 27 EU Member States fails to meet the criteria defining ODA. Worse still, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) rules allow this diversion of ODA. 

The exaggerated ODA figures are mostly due to the reporting of domestic refugee costs as international assistance, and the inflated reporting of debt and development finance transactions, according to the report.

Speaking on the release of the report, Jane-Ann McKenna, the CEO of Dóchas, the Irish Network for Humanitarian and Development Organisations, said:

“This year’s influential AidWatch report shows that there is a real issue across Europe with domestic refugee costs being counted as overseas development assistance, and Ireland has to be very careful to avoid that.

“The reality in Ireland is that we didn’t see any increase in this year’s budget for development and humanitarian crises, for terrible situations such as in Gaza and Sudan. The needs across the world are great and, unfortunately, we cannot claim that our overseas development assistance is growing to meet those needs.

“Ireland has a proud history of principled, effective overseas assistance. We need to step forward at domestic and EU levels to defend that integrity of aid and avoid its displacement to domestic refugee costs.”