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An aid agency, also known as development charity, is an organization dedicated to distributing
aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
Ai ...
. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government, between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizations or non-governmental organisations. The
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
is the world’s second oldest humanitarian organisation and is unique in being mandated by international treaty to uphold the
Geneva Conventions
upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864
The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...
. The
Sovereign Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
, established in 1099 as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, has an unbroken tradition of over 900 years of hospitaller activities, continuing to this day. Even in its modern guise under international law, it was recognized at the
Congress of Verona
The Congress of Verona met at Verona on 20 October 1822 as part of the series of international conferences or congresses that opened with the Congress of Vienna in 1814–15, which had instituted the Concert of Europe at the close of the Napole ...
of 1822, and since 1834 headquartered in
Palazzo Malta
Palazzo Malta, officially named as the Magistral Palace ( it, Palazzo Magistrale), and also known as ''Palazzo di Malta'' or ''Palazzo dell'Ordine di Malta'', is the more important of the two headquarters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta ( ...
in Rome, decades before the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
.
Aid can be subdivided into two categories:
humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...
(emergency relief efforts, e.g. in response to natural disasters), and
development aid
Development aid is a type of aid, foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political International development, development of developing countries. Closely-rel ...
(or
foreign aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
Ai ...
), aimed at helping countries to achieve long-term sustainable economic growth, with the aim of achieving
poverty reduction
Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty.
Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics clas ...
. Some aid agencies carry out both kinds of aid, whilst others specialise on one aspect.
With a lack of oversight within the
Charity realm, there are
Non-development assistance committees, and development assistance committees. Within the last few decades DACs have been the main character in the research on the charity's effectiveness. Through vigorous study we will be looking into both forms of charity and there effectiveness based on five factors.( transparency, overhead costs, aid specialization, selective allocation, and effective delivery channels) to see which form of the committee is most effective. (Dreher & Fuchs, 2015;) explain that both companies apply most aid to their country of origin. Although DAC agencies have more refined and easy obtain records showing their reporting and the lowest overhead costs, they engage in much worse effective aid practices in the remaining four factors.( Brech & Potrafke, 2014; Dreher et al., 2009; Fleck & Kilby, 2010; Frot et al., 2014; Fuchs et al., 2014; Kuziemko & Werker, 2006; Maizels & Nissanke, 1984; Neumayer, 2003). All in all, both DAC and Non-DAC have flaws; neither is clean from government pressure and lobbyist money ( Roodman (2004), Knack (2001). With further research on donor failure when it comes to meeting YoY standards we can find whether or not donors give because of self-interest
See also
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Charitable organization
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definitio ...
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Cryptocurrency donation
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Development bank
A development financial institution (DFI), also known as a development bank or development finance company (DFC), is a financial institution that provides risk capital for economic development projects on a non-commercial basis.
, total commitme ...
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Effective altruism
Effective altruism is a philosophical and social movement that advocates "using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis". People who pursue the goals of effective altruism, c ...
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List of development aid agencies
This is a list of development aid agencies which provide regional and international development aid or assistance, divided between national (mainly OECD countries) and international organizations. Agencies of numerous development cooperation part ...
References
External links
Foreign Relations and International Aidresources from
University of Colorado–Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...
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AidData- a web portal for information on development aid, including a database of aid activities financed by donors worldwide
OECD Development Co-operation Directorate (DAC)Foreign Aidat
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...
How Food Aid Work.Foreign Aid Projects 1955-2010
Aid
International development agencies
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