There is a widening gap between the official development assistance (ODA) provided by major donor countries and actual development and humanitarian needs.
This could have potentially serious consequences for human security and political stability, said in a report released today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The gap could be closed with only a small fraction of the resources committed to new military spending, it said with adding that global military spending last year reached US $2.9 trillion, at the same time, ODA has been falling since 2024, based on figures from the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), the release added.
‘Wealthy states in Europe and beyond have sharply increased their military spending in response to rising military threats. But this has coincided with deep cuts in other budget lines, including development and humanitarian aid. This can create widespread insecurity for people and states that rely on aid,’ said Xiao Liang, Researcher with the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.
‘All the signs are that military spending will continue to grow for several years to come, putting further pressure on ODA and other budget priorities,’ he added.
ODA funding needs could reach as high as US $326 billion in 2028 depending on developments in a range of factors related to armed conflicts, natural disasters and more. This would leave a funding gap of US $179 billion, which alone would be more than total expected ODA commitments in 2028, the report’s authors estimated.
The report includes case studies of recent ODA and military spending policy in Germany and the United Kingdom. Among other things, they show that governments have justified ODA cuts as necessary to finance higher military spending despite the fact that they make only a marginal contribution to the planned increases, it reads.
