ISLAMABAD – Australian government will cease all bilateral aid to Pakistan,which includes support for successful programs helping poor women andgirls, as funds for development assistance are diverted to the Pacific.
Australia has a 70-year history of providing aid to Pakistan but will endall government to government development assistance in 2020-21, the latest aidprogram performance report on Pakistanlink reveals.[image: Girls reading the Quran in Karachi, Pakistan. Australia’s aid toPakistan has focussed on assisting women and girls.]
Girls reading the Quran in Karachi, Pakistan. Australia’s aid to Pakistanhas focussed on assisting women and girls.CREDIT:AP
“Funding in Australia’s overall aid program has been redirected to supportnew initiatives in our immediate Pacific region,” it said.
“This has reduced bilateral aid to Pakistan from $39.2 million in 2018-19to $19 million in 2019-20 and funding for bilateral programs will fullycease in 2020-21.”Advertisement
A key objective of Australia’s aid to Pakistan has been assisting women andgirls with a focus on education, increased access to quality reproductivehealth and gender-based anti-violence services.
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Pakistan is one of the poorest countries in Asia and was placed 150 out of178 nations on the most recent United Nations Human Development Index,which ranks countries according to health, education and income.
Australia’s overall foreign aid budget has been slashed by 27 per cent inreal terms since 2013 and now makes up just 0.82 per cent of federalgovernment spending, an all-time low.
Despite those cuts, the Morrison government has pledged anAustralian“step-up” in the Pacific and aid spending in that region waslifted to a record $1.4 billion in 2019-20. The policy shift came amidfears of growing Chinese influence on Australia’s doorsteplink, the Sydney MorningHerald has reported.
