Comparison of Financial Efforts for Development
Analogous to the assessment of donor efforts for development financing as a whole the ratio of ODA grants for health in relation to GNI represents the main performance indicator for the assistance to improve health outcomes in disadvantaged regions. As explained in the previous chapter our analysis takes into account all health-relevant cooperation activities and funding mechanisms.
The assumed target level for health ODA of 0.1 percent of the GNI of economically privileged countries was first recommended in 2001 by the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health that was established by the World Health Organization. This scale-up of international cooperation combined with enhanced mobilization of domestic resources constitutes a necessary element of a concrete plan to increase the access of poor populations in low and middle income countries to essential health services and thereby save around 8 million lives per year (by 2010). Some years later the Millennium Project, an independent advisory body to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, conducted a comprehensive assessment of policies and investments needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The results of this broad study that comprised all development sectors are largely consistent with the target of contributing 0.1 percent of donor GNI as ODA for health care and promotion.
In any year of our study period only four or five countries out of 17 (including Luxembourg not shown in this chart) achieved the required funding level. Sweden, Norway and Luxembourg surpassed this threshold in every year since 2007. United Kingdom managed to join the donors, which comply with the recommendation, in 2011 and further enhanced its financial effort in the following year. Ireland, Denmark and Netherlands unfortunately fell below the target level in recent years. Apart from the countries most affected by the financial crisis (and Austria), Germany and Switzerland stand out as the donor countries that provided the lowest contributions in relation to economic capacity, with ODA grants reaching not even a third of the recommended 0.1 percent of GNI.
How to use:
By clicking on country names in the legend you can remove or add them to be shown in the chart. Thereby you can follow the trend of specific countries or compare the financial effort of selected donors.