Oxfam denounces France's "hypocrisy" over development aid
As the 19th Francophonie Summit takes place in Paris, the NGO Oxfam severely criticizes France's development aid policy. Despite the urgent needs of millions of French speakers, particularly in Africa, France is reducing its financial support. The NGO points to budget cuts, deemed inconsistent with the commitments made by the government.
A summit under the banner of humanitarian emergency
The holding of the Francophonie summit, which brings together around fifty heads of state and government, contrasts with the decline in French official development assistance (ODA). This aid, intended for the poorest countries, fell in 2023 to 15,4 billion euros, or 0,5% of Gross National Income (GNI), according to OECD data. A decline that comes at a time when 70 million French speakers are in a humanitarian emergency situation, particularly in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oxfam points out that France only provided 1,7% of the funding needed for these crises in 2023.
France's commitment questioned
Despite the law adopted in August 2021, which commits France to dedicating 0,7% of its GNI to development aid from 2025, the latest budget cuts have cast a shadow over this promise. In an attempt to reduce its public deficit, which is expected to exceed 6% of GDP in 2024, the government has already announced a €1,3 billion cut in ODA as part of the 2025 finance bill.
Alan Anic, Oxfam's campaign manager, did not mince his words: "Emmanuel Macron is achieving one of his best 'at the same time' by bringing his counterparts together in Paris while cutting essential funding for their development." The NGO denounces a situation where the summit's slogans, such as "create, innovate and undertake", mask darker realities: "inequalities, poverty and injustices" which particularly affect vulnerable French-speaking populations.