Chapter Four: Global Programs

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• Multilateral Organisations
• Community programs
• Emergency, humanitarian and refugee programs
• Communication, education and information

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The majority of Australia's aid to our development partners in the region is delivered through bilateral programs. However, a significant component of our aid to partner countries is implemented via multilateral agencies and community organisations. In 2002-03, it is estimated that Australia will provide $342.8 million to global programs (estimated cash payments will be $514 million). This funding will support activities delivered by multilateral organisations and NGOs. It will also support volunteer programs; humanitarian, emergency and refugee programs; and communication, education and information programs.

Multilateral Organisations

Australia's support for multilateral organisations complements bilateral assistance to our partner countries. Multilateral organisations fulfil valuable humanitarian, technical, policy dialogue and coordination functions. They provide on-the-ground support to developing countries in a variety of sectors, such as primary health care and basic education. They are able to mobilise and coordinate donor resources for international crises, such as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. They are also instrumental in moves towards greater donor coordination, including efforts to harmonise donor programs in collaboration with our development partners.

Australia has a strong interest in ensuring that any organisation it supports through the aid program performs effectively and operates in line with Australia's priorities in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia systematically assesses how well these organisations contribute to the objective of the aid program. The Multilateral Assessment Framework is used to assess the performance of UN and Commonwealth multilateral organisations. In 2002-03, efforts will be made to further strengthen links between multilateral programs supported by Australia and our bilateral country programs.

Multilateral Development Banks²

Asian Development Fund - Asian Development Bank $91.4 million
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative $6.0 million
International Development Association - World Bank $135.1 million
International Fund for Agricultural Development $1.5 million
Total Multilateral Development Banks $234.0 million

In 2002-03, Australia's contribution to multilateral development banks (MDBs) will total $234 million. As well as providing developing countries in the Asia-Pacific with highly concessional finance, MDBs play a critical role in promoting good governance, sound economic policies and donor coordination across the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia's priorities for 2002-03 are to improve the development effectiveness, accountability and transparency of MDB activities and to strengthen the complementarities between MDB and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) programs in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia will help the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to forge stronger ties with NGO and community groups in the region and will actively participate in a review of the ADB's progress in implementing agreed reforms.

Australia will work with other donors and the World Bank to progress policy issues raised in the context of the 13th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA). Australia is particularly interested in working with the Bank and other donors to increase IDA's effectiveness in poverty reduction, including strengthening the Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy approach.

The HIPC Initiative is a multilateral plan to provide debt relief to the world's poorest countries supported by the IMF and the World Bank. It provides debt relief in the context of establishing sound institutional and policy frameworks to promote further development. It also helps to ensure that the proceeds of debt relief are directed towards basic health, education and poverty reduction programs, and not lost in corruption or military spending. The Australian Government has made an additional commitment of $18 million, to be paid over three years commencing in 2002-03. This brings total Australian contributions to HIPC to $77 million.

As well as contributing to the HIPC Initiative, Australia has pledged 100 per cent bilateral debt forgiveness to countries that qualify for debt relief under the enhanced HIPC Initiative. Ethiopia qualified for interim debt relief on 12 November 2001, and will now not be required to make debt repayments to Australia on its debt of $11.5 million. Nicaragua is also not making debt repayments to Australia on its outstanding debt of $6.3 million following the country's qualification for interim debt relief in 2000. There are no other countries that the World Bank and IMF regard as having unsustainable debt burdens that have outstanding liabilities to Australia.

Australia will encourage the World Bank and the IMF to monitor and manage the delivery of debt relief to ensure this relief is sustainable and results in increased transfers of development spending.

United Nations development organisations

In 2002-03, Australia will provide $68.2 million in contributions to the following UN development and humanitarian organisations:

World Food Programme $40.0 million
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees $7.3 million
United Nations Development Programme $6.5 million
United Nations Children's Fund $5.0 million
United Nations Relief and Works Agency $4.0 million
United Nations Fund for Population Activities $2.2 million
International Atomic Energy Agency $2.0 million
United Nations Drug Control Program $0.8 million
United Nations Development Fund for Women $0.4 million

Australia's aid program will continue to build close partnerships with UN agencies, with the aim of improving their performance, supporting Australia's regional and bilateral aid priorities, and enhancing overall aid outcomes in the Asia-Pacific region. UN agencies can extend the reach of the aid program and the benefits Australia's assistance can deliver.

A key priority for 2002-03 will be the development of strategic partnerships with multilateral agencies focused on poverty reduction and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific. These partnerships aim to improve multilateral agency engagement and effectiveness in the region. Australia will also continue to work closely with UN agencies to promote improved performance and coherence in the UN development system as a whole.

International health programs

In 2002-03, Australia will provide $15.0 million to international health programs. Australia's contribution is helping improve the basic health of those most in need by responding to continuing global health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, TB, poor maternal and child health, and reproductive health. It is also addressing emerging health issues in our region, such as non-communicable diseases and mental health.

In 2002-03, Australia will support:

• WHO to control and eradicate diseases such as TB, increase immunisation coverage, and address emerging challenges in the areas of non-communicable diseases and mental health
• UNAIDS' implementation of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Forum and promotion of an effective response to HIV/AIDS
• Rotary International, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and the US Centre for Disease Control, to eradicate polio from the world by 2005. The Australian Government is currently matching Australian corporate contributions dollar for dollar up to $10 million over the period 2001-05.

International environment programs³

Australia's international environment program aims to assist developing countries to address global environment concerns, particularly those of greatest relevance to the poor. Through its support for international environment organisations, Australia is assisting developing countries to address environmental challenges that require global and regional responses.

In 2002-03, Australia will continue to support the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address global environmental concerns, including climate change, biodiversity loss, degradation of international waters, ozone depletion, land degradation and persistent organic pollutants. Cash contributions for the GEF in 2002-03 will be $10.3 million. In addition, in 2002-03 Australia will make a commitment to the third GEF replenishment (GEF3). Cash contributions for GEF3 will not commence until 2003-04. The exact size of Australia's commitment to GEF3 is still dependent on the outcomes of current replenishment negotiations.

Australia will also provide $5.2 million to the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund (MPMF) which is helping developing countries phase out the use of ozone depleting substances by 2010. An amount of $0.6 million will be provided to the United Nations Environment Program, the UN's primary body on environment, in support of its work on sustainable development. Australia will also provide funding to the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) to promote sustainable tropical forest management.

Commonwealth organisations

Australia will contribute $12.2 million during 2002-03 to Commonwealth organisations and programs to improve good governance, small states development, economic policy making and institution building. As chair of the Commonwealth over the next 18 months Australia will have a close interest in strengthening the governance impact of Commonwealth programs and bringing a tighter focus to its development activities. Australia will continue to fund experts, training and advice through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation to promote economic and social development in member countries. Australia will also provide funding to the Trade and Investment Access Facility, an Australian initiative at the 1997 CHOGM. The facility will assist developing members to better integrate into the global economy.

A key priority for 2002-03 is working with the Commonwealth Secretariat to implement planned reforms. The reforms seek to ensure the Commonwealth remains modern, relevant and responsive to its members' needs, with a simplified structure and a clear focus on its strengths. As announced by the Prime Minister at CHOGM 2002, Australia will also provide significant support for the Commonwealth Youth for the Future initiative. The initiative aims to encourage technology and skills transfer and foster youth leadership and enterprise. Australia's support for this initiative will seek to engage the skills and enthusiasm of Australian youth volunteers to make a practical contribution to the international development work of the Commonwealth.

Community programs

Non-government organisations

Non-government organisations $26.4 million

The Australian Government has worked with Australian NGOs for many years to help developing communities. Through their links with communities in developing countries, NGOs are well placed to strengthen civil society and build longer-term sustainable development at the grass roots level. NGOs have also been successful at mobilising public support and voluntary contributions for aid and engaging the Australian community in aid activities.

The AusAID/NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) supports development activities initiated by NGOs that contribute to poverty alleviation. Under the program, the Australian government supplements funds provided by the Australian community, thereby increasing the scale and effectiveness of NGO activities. In 2002-03 funding for the ANCP will be $25.9 million.

The key theme for the NGO program for 2002-03 will be to encourage continuous improvements to the quality of the program. AusAID will work closely with NGOs in implementing the recommendations of a collaborative review of the design and implementation of NGO activities funded through the aid program. This review has identified strengths and weaknesses in NGO supported community projects. Particular emphasis will be placed on improving NGO skills in project design and implementation, encouraging regular reviews by NGOs of their activities, and revising AusAID accreditation and assessment procedures to incorporate quality indicators.

Volunteer programs

Volunteer programs $20.5 million

Since the 1960s, when the Australian aid program first directly funded volunteers, they have been a key part of the human face of Australian aid. Volunteers enhance community participation in the aid program, and help reduce poverty through skills transfer and institutional strengthening.

The Government is committed to supporting overseas volunteer programs, and funding for these programs has increased to $20.5 million in 2002-03, the highest level yet. Australia supports three types of volunteer services: short term youth volunteers (through the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program), longer term community volunteers (through Australian Volunteers International), and short term business volunteers (through programs such as AESOP Business Volunteers).

Australia will continue to target its volunteer program primarily toward the Asia-Pacific region. In 2002-03 Australia will assess the continued benefits that volunteers provide to the aid program and measure the quality of volunteer programs. In addition, Australia will investigate ways to integrate volunteers into the delivery of other aid programs. In particular, increasing use will be made of Australian volunteers in implementation of the Virtual Colombo Plan. Volunteers will be involved in the delivery of information technology literacy training and in providing management and technical advice in selected distance learning centres.

Emergency, humanitarian and refugee programs

Emergency aid $52.4 million
Humanitarian aid $49.0 million
Refugee aid $15.0 million

The emergency, humanitarian and refugee programs aim to mitigate the adverse impacts of conflict, natural and other disasters on vulnerable populations. To ensure effective responses to conflict and disasters, Australia works in cooperation with international and domestic partners to improve preparedness and risk reduction strategies, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The core element of Australia's humanitarian program is regional engagement. In 2002-03, the program will continue to focus on:

• greater preparedness through improved analysis and scenario planning
• increasing indigenous capacity to prepare for and respond to humanitarian crises through strengthened regional and national disaster management institutions and NGOs
• increasing Australian capacity, both government and non-government, to respond to a broad range of crises and sustain our commitment over the medium to long term
• greater engagement with multilateral humanitarian agencies in our region.

In 2002-03, AusAID will also be encouraging greater integration of the humanitarian program with bilateral country programs, and stronger alignment of the humanitarian program with overall aid program priorities.

An international refugee allocation will be established in 2002-03 to support programs of international agencies to assist refugees and internally displaced people. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) currently estimates that there are some 25 million internally displaced people in the world (some 1.3 million in Indonesia) and 12 million refugees. The allocation will support efforts to improve the conditions of displaced people, as well as assist with repatriation and local integration. AusAID works closely with relevant government agencies and international partners in implementing appropriate support programs in countries of origin, first asylum and transit.

While core funding for the UNHCR will be $7.3 million in 2002-03, UNHCR together with other international agencies, will be able to apply for funding through the new international refugee allocation.

Australian Aid to Afghanistan Since the disastrous events of 11 September 2001, the Australian Government has committed $40.3 million to deal with the humanitarian and reconstruction challenges in Afghanistan. This response is the second largest ever by Australia to a humanitarian crisis (only surpassed by East Timor). This contribution complements Australia's military and diplomatic support as part of the international coalition against terrorism. The humanitarian response from the international community was successful in averting the fears of mass starvation prevalent prior to the establishment of the Afghan Interim Administration. Australia's contribution includes humanitarian assistance ($23.3 million) and funding for recovery efforts in Afghanistan ($17 million). Australian humanitarian assistance has included food aid from Australian wheat farmers, winter supplies, vital health assistance and support to international agencies and NGOs. Australia's $17 million contribution towards reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan will support education assistance, immunisation and nutrition, drug control, de-mining, and technical assistance in rebuilding Afghanistan. Australia also provided an additional $1 million in assistance to Afghanistan in response to the devastating earthquake in March 2002.

Landmine action

Australia is committed to providing $100 million towards mine action activities over the decade ending in December 2005. This funding is an integral part of Australia's commitment to the Ottawa Convention on Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction. Australia's mine action assistance has focused on building indigenous capacity for mine clearance, assisting landmine victims and promoting mine awareness.

Direct assistance program

The Direct Assistance Program is a small grants scheme used to fund humanitarian projects ancillary to Australia's development cooperation program. The program is delivered through Australia's diplomatic posts with over 40 posts currently drawing on the scheme. The program will continue to focus on alleviating basic humanitarian hardships. Development activities supported under the program are directly aimed at assisting women, the poor and other disadvantaged people. In 2002-03, $3.3 million will be provided through the program.

Communication, education and information

Outreach activities and development education

The Government puts significant emphasis on informing the Australian people about the benefits aid delivers to the poor in developing countries in our region. Expenditure on media, outreach, publications, internet and global education activities for 2002-03 will be $2.6 million. The Government will continue to implement a communication strategy that aims to inform increasing numbers of Australians about the aid program through a range of media. AusAID will provide information about the aid program through:

• proactive communications strategies for both print and electronic media
• outreach activities at shows, trade and business forums, universities and schools
• global education in primary and secondary schools
• Focus magazine, AusAID's flagship magazine, and other agency publications
• on-line delivery of information and new on-line services for specific stakeholders.

Key priorities for 2002-03 include the development of outreach, media and publications programs to engage Australia's rural communities, the development of new online services, the provision of professional development to 10,000 Australian primary and secondary teachers in teaching global education, and the publication of four global education curriculum documents.

Speeches, press releases and details of AusAID publications may be found on the AusAID Internet site (www.ausaid.gov.au) or by contacting the Public Affairs Group on (02) 6206 4840.

Academic and research program

Research activities that are directly linked to policy and program requirements can usefully inform the effective delivery of Australian aid. The AusAID Development Research Program (ADRP) is the agency's central means of financing development research. In 2002-03, the budget for the ADRP will be $1.4 million. AusAID's development research activities aim to increase aid effectiveness, improve the agency's ability to inform whole-of-government policy formulation and maximise Australia's contribution to the international development agenda.

In 2002-03, the program will have a stronger focus on key corporate priorities and encourage improved dissemination and utilisation of high quality research commissioned by the agency. The program also supports the targeted distribution of the Asia Pacific Economic Literature journal to developing countries in our region. The ADRP is complemented by research on priority country or regional issues, funded under bilateral or regional programs.

International seminar support scheme

The International Seminar Support Scheme assists participants from developing countries to attend development-focused seminars both in Australia and overseas. The scheme helps to develop knowledge, technical expertise, networks and policies in developing countries. Applications for support will continue to be assessed against the ability to show tangible and practical development-related outcomes. In 2002-03, $0.8 million will be provided to the scheme.

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2 Figures for MDBs are calculated on a cash basis. Refer to Technical notes for further details.

3 Figures for GEF, MPMF and ITTO are calculated on a cash basis. Refer to Technical notes for further details.