Aid Agencies Need to Demand Their Fair Share

Press Release

8 June 2009

Media statement by Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement
At a recent event hosted by Inyathelo-The South African Institute for Advancement, participants were captivated by guest speaker, Writer, Columnist & Researcher Working in Civil Society; Glen Ashton’s expansion on his  article, The New Colonists Scramble for Africa.

The article, published in The Cape Argus on 27th January 2009, focused on the new land grab in Africa and the trend of government to government deals as well as private deals which offer to manage land that is not being economically used in order to improve food security.

In his article, Ashton cites a report on this trend by non-governmental organisation, Grain, on this trend. The NGO report quotes over 100 examples of this new neo-colonial land grab and explains that these are chiefly done by nations that have insufficient natural capital or space and are seeking to improve their own food security whilst weakening the host nation’s ability to access similar benefits “Land grabs are pursued by both nations and corporations. These two groups are responsible for fraying the social fabric and for trashing our ecosphere,” said Ashton.

“There is a linkage between corporations and the mechanisms of state, the political sphere. I call this linkage the corporate nexus.”

Ashton explained that corporations are focused on one thing only: the generation of profit.

“Profit comes before anything – ethics, morals, social or environmental rights. Indeed profit even comes before the law.

“How often have we heard of corporations polluting the environment and then happily paying a fine because it was more profitable to pollute and pay the fine than it was to adhere to the precepts of law?

“It is through this profit seeking that led to highly conditional aid devolved to Africa over the past 40 years,

“Disputing what Dambisa Moyo states in her book, Dead Aid, about the need to eschew foreign aid, we should in fact demand our fair share and we must have increased influence as to where it goes.”

Ashton added that if Aid Agencies are to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of equity in water, education and food security, then they must demand that aid is stepped up to the agreed levels of 0.7% of developed nations' GDP.

“By working together, as funders and as recipients of aid that is intended to actually achieve the MDGs, we can avoid the conditionality’s of aid and of donor funding.

“We must lean not only on our governments, but through the media – which is increasingly on our side after the collapse of the capitalist dream – to promote our vision and our responsibilities.

“We also have a gap to lobby in with the institution of our new parliament under a leadership that evidently wishes to pursue a more socially aligned system.”

He said that organisations should create strong interrelationships between the social and environmental sectors as the fight for social justice is intrinsically linked to the demands for environmental sustainability.

“We can, if we really do represent the needs and interests of the widest possible sector of social movement, make change happen. It is not just that we can, it is that we must.”

Inyathelo-The South African Institute for Advancement hosts the Breakfast on the 2ndFloor regularly where topical issues are discussed and debated. For more information, please contact Nazli Abrahams on 021 405 6981/2 or info@inyathelo.co.za

ENDS

Issued by Quo Vadis Communications on behalf of Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement

MEDIA CONTACT:

Chantal Meugens
Quo Vadis Communications
Cellphone: 083 676 2294 / landline: 011 487 0026
Email: chantal@quo-vadis.co.za

INYATHELO CONTACT:

Nazli Abrahams
Senior Programme Coordinator
Telephone no.: 021 465 6981/2
Email: Nazli@inyathelo.co.za