MAJOR
donors' aid to developing countries fell by nearly 3% in 2011, breaking a long
trend of annual increase. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría encouraged donors
to meet their commitments and said that the fall of ODA is a source of great
concern, coming at a time when developing countries have been hit by the
knock-on effect of the crisis and need it most. In 2011, members of the
Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD provided USD 133.5 billion of
net official development assistance (ODA), representing 0.31 per cent of their
combined gross national income (GNI). This was a -2.7 % drop in real terms
compared to 2010, the year it reached its peak. This decrease reflects fiscal
constraints in several DAC countries which have affected their ODA budgets.The
United States continued to be the largest donor by volume with net ODA flows
amounting to USD 30.7 billion, representing a fall of -0.9% in real terms from
2010. As a share of GNI, ODA was 0.20%, a decrease from the 2010 level of
0.21%. US bilateral ODA for Africa rose to a record level of USD 9.3 billion
(+17.4%), and its aid to LDCs amounted to USD 10.0 billion (+6.9%).
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