'Donor aid objectives must align with development strategies'

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines supports and emphasizes a mutual alignment of donors’ aid objectives with the country’s development policies and strategies.

“The objectives of aid programs must take into account the precise needs of the beneficiary countries, which are in the best position to know the required mix of aid and domestic development requirements tailored to suit the needs of the underdeveloped sectors of society,” said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique Manalo.

Manalo said the present global economic crisis has complicated efforts of countries to achieve a level of sustainable development that best promotes holistic growth for the people.

He said lower growth means less opportunities and resources for governments to undertake development initiatives, meet domestic social welfare targets, and help the poorest of the poor get out of poverty.

“The global economic crisis has thus exposed the need for reform. We cannot afford to have a business-as-usual mentality. More than ever, greater participation and a stronger voice for developing countries in global economic governance and decision making is needed,” he said.

The “Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Development Conference – Towards Sustainable Development” jointly hosted by the Philippines and the European Commission (EC), singled out four pressing global and regional issues that impact on sustainable development, namely: Millennium Development Goals or MDGs, Climate Change, Social Cohesion, and Aid Effectiveness, the same four areas outlined in the Beijing Declaration.

The significance of the ASEM process, Manalo said, lies in its substantive input into the emerging global discourse on development through a regional dialogue between and among Asian and European partners.

The challenges facing sustainable development that touch on the four-fold issues discussed in the two-day conference require sustained efforts from ASEM governments.

“The conference reached the conclusion that MDGs are an important part of the global effort to reduce poverty and promote worldwide development. With six years to go before the 2015 deadline, there is still much work to be done to attain MDG targets, especially among the developing partners of ASEM. It will require a concerted effort, both at the local and global levels, to sustain gains we have achieved so far and to step up efforts in areas where we are lagging,” Manalo said.