I. Luxembourg’s official development assistance in 2015

Vietnam – Lagoon zone in the province of Thua Thien Hué, where a programme of local development and adaptation to the consequences of climate change is being implemented

An overview of official development assistance

The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted resolution 2626 on 24 October 1970, at its 25th session. This resolution confirmed that “the primary responsibility for the development of developing countries rests upon themselves”, emphasising that “however great their own efforts, these will not be sufficient to enable them to achieve the desired development goals as expeditiously as they must unless they are assisted through increased financial resources and more favourable economic and commercial policies on the part of developed countries.” The “official development assistance” to be supplied by each economically advanced country was set at “a minimum net amount of 0,7 per cent of its gross national product at market prices.”

Initially, Luxembourg’s official development assistance grew slowly but steadily: its proportion of gross national income (GNI) increased from 0,10% in 1981 to 0,28% in 1991 (1,262 billion Luxembourg francs).

On 31 July 1991, the Cabinet set the objective of 0,35% of GNI by 1995. This objective was achieved in 1996, with disbursements of 2,554 billion Luxembourg francs (0,43% of GNI).

Meanwhile, at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, Prime Minister Jacques Santer formally announced Luxembourg’s desire to go further than this and achieve 0,7% of GNI by the year 2000.

This objective was confirmed on the formation of a new government in 1994. In view of the continued growth in official development assistance – increasing from 0,31% of GNI in 1994 to 0,62% in 1998 – it was decided on the formation of the government in 1999 to set an objective of 0,7% in 2000, then to increase this aid with a view to approaching 1% by the end of its term.

The first objective was achieved as planned in 2000: with a total of over 5,382 billion Luxembourg francs (133 433 million euros), Luxembourg achieved for the first time the target of 0,7% of gross national income (GNI), in the process becoming one of the top five donor countries in the world in percentage terms. Subsequent years confirmed this commitment, with ODA never falling below this threshold.

In 2009, Luxembourg’s official assistance exceeded the target of 1% of GNI for the first time, with disbursements of 297 817 million euros (1,11% of GNI).

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