Australia, China and other aid donors must realise there’s a better way to help the Pacific
- Medical supplies have been deployed to islands with no Covid-19 outbreaks, while Australia has withdrawn from the Green Climate Fund. Donor-driven approaches rarely deliver what a recipient needs when geopolitics is driving the agenda
On top of this, colonial relationships and ongoing Compacts of Free Association agreements mean that the support of some big powers looms large in parts of the region, while being entirely absent in others. And more recently, new players such as the European Union have also stepped into the ring.
The fact that the Pacific’s development indicators continue to rank well behind those of Sub-Saharan Africa has helped it avoid the intense politicisation of aid we have seen elsewhere.
But if current trends continue, the Pacific is on track for a collision between its fundamental development needs and the rapidly evolving state of its geopolitical relationships. In just the past few years alone, China has overtaken the United States to become the third-largest donor in the region.
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