America In Last Place Meeting Our Global Aid Commitments

In 2005 the G8 countries met at Gleneagles, agreeing to aim for 0.7% GNP contributions to developing countries. Rudd Leeuw has published the results through 2008, via globalissues.org.

In America we love to talk about our enormous generosity to the rest of the world. Yes, we support missionary groups and in hard dollars we give the most. However, as a percent of giving measured against our total GNP, we are in last place on a long list of countries, and we haven’t begun to keep President Bush’s promise.

Conservatives seek to slash America’s contributions even further.

Now I support fully the concept of aid accountability. Way too much money has been wasted, with people desperate for help around the world. But I’m inclined to listen to the evaluation of aid giving from the perspective of countries like Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands who have met their giving goals and are perhaps more neutral on the effectiveness of well-targeted aid programs.

I can’t help noting that these countries are the same ones that lead just about every report lately, including ones on happiness, gender equality and materialism. Oh yes — their Internets are faster than ours, too and while spiritual, religion doesn’t rule in their countries. 

How is it possible that without religious authorities hammering away at the need to support the poor, the Scandinavians set the gold standard for the rest of the world? They don’t talk about their generosity; they just do it.

At the risk of being labeled an unpatriotic socialist, when I’m an entrepreneurial, former Republican, I believe we have a lot to learn from the Scandinavians on being good citizens and leading more relevant lives in total.

A couple years ago I had dinner in LA at the home of Finland’s counselor general, who hosted a business dinner attended by Swedes, too. It’s been a long time since I had such a engaging discussion on a wide variety of global issues — especially feminism — and in Beverly Hills, of all places.

The evening was as inspiring as mesmerizing and deeply touching with gracious hosts who treated us all as the best of friends. No, I didn’t conclude a business deal, which was the reason I attended the evening. But I walked away inspired to engage again in activism.

Indirectly, you can thanks the Scandinavians for delivering the Anne of Carversville we know today — for better or worse. Anne

More reading: Status vs Money | A Third Look At Happiness, Gender Equality & Taxes