The share of Belgium’s total expenditure on international cooperation spent on health and reproductive health has fallen to 11% in 2018, the lowest percentage in 4 years. A downward trend is found over the course of the previous legislative period, from 14% in 2015, 12.7% in 2016 and 12.4% In 2017. The trend is shown in the audit of the 2018 ODA expenditure by DGD, conducted by Sensoa, the Flemish centre of expertise on sexual health, which compared the 2018 expenditure with previous years.
There was not much reason to celebrate on World Aids Day either, as the audit shows that Belgium’s international support to the worldwide HIV response is plummeting. Compared to the 2016 expenditure, the proportion of the budget for health and reproductive health assumed to benefit the uptake of HIV halved, going from €130 million to €62 million. The downward trend started in 2017. We find substantially less expenditure for projects and programmes in the bilateral cooperation contributing to the HIV response, as well as eroded support for multilateral organisations tackling HIV. However, 9 out of Belgium’s 14 partner countries face generalised and/or concentrated HIV epidemics, which they can impossibly cope with by domestic means only.
The figures are remarkable, as Belgium has shown itself a strong proponent of sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. Our country was co-leading the ‘She Decides’ movement, that seeks to answer the Mexico City Policy reintroduced by Trump, which pressurised international support for sexual and reproductive rights. Belgium showed itself an ardent advocate of sexual and reproductive rights at the UN and Minister of Development Cooperation, Alexander De Croo, made feminism his trademark.
With the sign-off of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, Belgium engaged itself with the other UN Member-States to, by 2030, realise universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, end the HIV epidemic, increase financial support for health care and target universal health coverage. Belgium is a frontrunner in national HIV prevention and treatment, as well as sexual and reproductive rights. Belgium has a well-performing health system and almost everyone has access health coverage. Sensoa therefore questions why Belgium has failed to translate those strengths in its international cooperation.
The report is available in Dutch and French, and contains a specific section with the most important findings and concrete recommendations for the Belgian development cooperation. The analysis was conducted on the figures provided to Sensoa by DGD late August 2019.
The figures are remarkable, as Belgium has shown itself a strong proponent of sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. Our country was co-leading the ‘She Decides’ movement, that seeks to answer the Mexico City Policy reintroduced by Trump, which pressurised international support for sexual and reproductive rights. Belgium showed itself an ardent advocate of sexual and reproductive rights at the UN and Minister of Development Cooperation, Alexander De Croo, made feminism his trademark.
With the sign-off of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, Belgium engaged itself with the other UN Member-States to, by 2030, realise universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, end the HIV epidemic, increase financial support for health care and target universal health coverage. Belgium is a frontrunner in national HIV prevention and treatment, as well as sexual and reproductive rights. Belgium has a well-performing health system and almost everyone has access health coverage. Sensoa therefore questions why Belgium has failed to translate those strengths in its international cooperation.
The report is available in Dutch and French, and contains a specific section with the most important findings and concrete recommendations for the Belgian development cooperation. The analysis was conducted on the figures provided to Sensoa by DGD late August 2019.
| oda2018final.pdf |
| oda2018rapportdeffr.pdf |
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