ROLE OF GOVERNMENT: AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development)

1. “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings . . . Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of social justice.”

2. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT: AusAID(Australian Agency for International Development) • The objective of Australia’s aid program is “to assist developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia’s regional interest.”

3. Lift your game: UN raps foreign aid record AUSTRALIA has been accused of "punching below its weight" when it comes to its aid budget, with the director of the United Nations campaign to reduce global poverty calling on the Federal Government to show more generosity towards the world's poorer nations. The UN's Millennium Campaign director, Salil Shetty, who was in Canberra last night delivering a keynote address on Australia's role in the effort to make poverty history, said that while it was among the world's richest economies, it was "almost bottom of the pile" in terms of development assistance. "The main point is Australia is punching below its weight," Mr Shetty said. (Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July 2006)

4. Government Aid - in context Net ODA in 2003 US$ (billion)

5. Government aid – as % of GNI Net ODA as a % of GNI (2004)

6. Australian aid 1971-2006

7. OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) - AID • Focus Area 4G3 Global Change • Extremes of poverty and wealth • Global organisations involved in reducing global inequalities

8. OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) - AID • Focus Area 5A4 Australia in its Regional and Global Contexts • The nature of the regional and global link • The roles of government (AusAID) and non-government organisations (NGOs) • Cultural, economic and geopolitical advantages and disadvantages to Australia • Social justice and equity issues

9. REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CONTEXT • MAKE POVERTY HISTORY • MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs) In 2000, 191 nations set these goals to achieve by 2015: • Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger • Achieve universal primary education • Promote gender equality and empower women • Reduce child mortality • Improve maternal health • Combat HIV and AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis • Ensure environmental sustainability • Develop a global partnership for development aid – fair trade – debt relief - governance

10. How AusAID is delivered: • Bilateral aid – one government to another in 2004, $2.1 billion 2. Multilateral aid – World Bank, IMF, ADB in 2004, $400 million 3. Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) – World Vision, TEAR, Red Cross in 2004, $100 million

11. NON GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS (NGOs) • Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) is the national association of 80 NGOs: including World Vision, Caritas, Red Cross, Oxfam, TEAR, Amnesty International • MAKE POVERTY HISTORY – international coalition of NGOs calling on world leaders to keep their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals – aid, fair trade, debt relief, governance

12. NGO aid includes: • Emergency humanitarian relief • Community development projects • Advocacy and Education

13. Aid funds managed by Australian NGOs

14. Cultural, economic and geopolitical advantages • Increase regional stability – prevent ‘failed states’ • Increase demand for Australian exports, employment and investment opportunities • Transboundary issues – Avian flu, agricultural diseases, HIV • Strengthen long-term international relations • Poverty reduction as a public good humanitarian needs – essential infrastructure

15. Cultural, economic and geopolitical disadvantages • If aid is poorly delivered, it can: • encourage a culture of dependence • foster resentment – paternalist, neo-colonialism – insensitive to cultural values of recipient country • promote economic growth for the rich, but not address environmental impacts and poverty-reduction

16. “This is a critical moment. If you go to 0.5% by 2010 I think that's like 11 million people would have access to clean water, 18,000 deaths avoided to AIDS and TB. I mean, these are real lives, real numbers. What an opportunity to be able to do that. But you have to give the politicians, whoever's in power, permission to do this.” (Bono on Enough Rope 2006)

17. Useful websites on ODA (Aid) • www.makepovertyhistory.com.au • www.worldvision.com.au/resources/globaleducation/maingame/ • www.stir.org.au • www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au • www.aidwatch.org.au • www.oecd.org/dac/

18. The Main Game resource kit contains:Workbook – a cross-curricular resource focusing on unpacking the MDGs throughindividual and group activities. Topics covered include poverty, inequality, accessto food and water, education, health, the environment and the role of aid and development. Learning methods include simulation games, map reading, Internet research, debating, role-plays, interpreting statistics, and public speaking.Poster Set – eight large sized classroom posters linking the MDGs to the livesof real children and families around the world.DVD – complementing the workbook, an interactive presentation designed to encourage students to relate the MDGs to the problems facing young people and their communities in developing countries.CD-ROM – copies of all materials.PLUS: the accompanying Website includes case studies, country comparisons, statistics and information on how Australia can help Make Poverty History.