Specialist calls for independent aid unit

By Park Si-soo

BUSAN ㅡ An aid specialist urged the Korean government to establish an independent body to determine the country’s international aid policies and activities in a bid to remove inefficiencies in humanitarian work under the current system.

The need for the body’s creation has been raised for years ahead of major elections here, according to Lee Seong-hoon. Yet nothing has been done because of the government’s resistance to losing its grip on aid campaigns, which enables the operator to determine the use of one trillion won ($887 million) of taxpayers’ money or 0.12 percent of Korea’s Gross National Income, he said.

Lee, who co-chairs the Korea Civil Society Forum on International Development Cooperation (KoFID), an association of some 30 domestic aid groups, said he will push for the idea again ahead of the general elections in April and try to make “something happen” in the near future.

“The government’s financial aid to fragile and developing states has notably increased. But it’s questionable how efficient the use of the money is,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday. “Ministries fight each other to get more of the budget and implement it on their own without coordination with other actors, creating overlapping aid to a country or segment. Given this, establishing an independent body would be the best solution.”

He cited Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) as a model case that Korea should follow suit.

DFID, set up in 1997, has the exclusive right to implement all aid-relevant activities on the British government’s behalf and monitor and review their performance and results.

The expert criticized the Ministry of Strategy and Finance’s benefit-seeking approach to humanitarian aid. The ministry wields powerful clout in assigning the budget to government bodies.

“Aid to poor countries should be carried out with no strings attached. But the finance ministry pushes aid-giving state bodies to help aid-recipients in exchange for winning favors for Korean companies or the government,” he said. “This goes against the global campaign toward unconditional aid.”

His remarks were in line with concerns raised by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Emerging countries need to be smart and sharp because donor countries could be more interested in extracting your resources than building your capacity,” Clinton said during a press conference, Wednesday. “Quick fixes will not produce sustainable growth,” she said, urging recipient nations to be “smart shoppers.”

Lee called on the government to widen its support for civic groups in aid-receiving states, saying it will eventually help them stand on their own two feet.

“Poor countries are generally vulnerable to corruption, which reduces effectiveness of international aid,” he said. “Corruption decreases as civic groups get stronger. Transparency will lay the groundwork for democracy to sprout while limiting authoritarian regimes.”