November 11, 2009

Source: Calgary Herald

Canada could better help humanitarian organizations prepare for international disasters and conflicts, who could in turn respond more quickly and effectively, says a global ranking of humanitarian aid released Tuesday by an American research association.

The Humanitarian Response Index, produced by the Washington, D.C.-based Development Assistance Research Associates, analyzes the effectiveness of government aid donations from 22 of the world’s major donor countries, in addition to the European Commission, in helping those affected by conflict and disaster.

“We’re looking at how Canadian government funding is used at the field level,” index project manager Philip Tamminga said Tuesday. “What we don’t do is go into what the specific changes at the policy level may or may not have influenced. . . .”

“But when we’re interviewing different humanitarian organizations at the field level, there has been some concern that perhaps the(Canadian) political commitment to effective humanitarian aid isn’t as strong as it has been in the past years.”

Canada ranked 13th behind New Zealand, Australia, the U.K. and others, down three spots from 2008.Norway grabbed the top spot, followed by Sweden. The U.S. ranked 14th.

The release of the index comes on the heels of the findings of auditor general Sheila Fraser, who said in her annual report released last week that Canada’s foreign aid system, a$4.7-billion program, is in shambles and has too broad a focus to be effective.