Wednesday, November 24, 2010

24-Nov-10: Quote of the day

"The Palestinians are one of the world's largest beneficiaries of foreign aid, receiving over $3 billion annually (not including the budget of UNRWA itself).
  • In 2009, over 60% of Palestine's gross national income, and almost 100% of government expenditure, came from aid. 
  • PA budgets allocate ten times more money to security than to agriculture.
  • The Palestinians' NGO sector has become a byword for corruption, incompetence and meaningless job creation
  • Thousands of NGOs have sprung up, bloating the aid industry without delivering long-term benefits.
  • Naseef Mu'allem, director-general of the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy, revealed that "JICA - the Japanese government aid mission - invested $5 million last year, but practically what they spent is $600,000. The rest is given as salaries, accommodation, hotels...and transportation for the foreign employees here but not for the Palestinians.
  • Without donors thoroughly checking on their investments, this kind of private profiteering has become normal."
Kieron Monks [ guardian.co.uk ]
Friday 19 November 2010

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