London
Only about 20 percent of all international aid actually goes to the people it is meant to help, two major aid agencies said this week. Oxfam and Action Aid, both based in the U.K., said that bureaucratic costs ate up most of the money donated by Western governments. Much of the money actually ends up back in the rich donor nations, because the aid agencies are required to buy products and services from donor-country companies at inflated prices. The U.S. and Italy are the worst offenders, the groups said, effectively taking back 70 percent of the aid they supposedly donate.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
