At a time when the French are preparing to choose a new president for the next five years, the 179 NGOs and associations gathered within Coordination Sud, including Aide et Action, are mobilizing to remind the candidates of the importance of issues related to international solidarity. Together, they are publishing an international solidarity manifesto to make their voices heard.
The VIC-19 and its economic and social consequences have condemned more than 100 million additional people to extreme poverty and deprived more than a billion children of their most basic rights. Nearly 274 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance in 37 countries and $41 billion would be required to meet their needs. Based on this observation, the 179 French NGOs and associations that make up Coordination Sud _ the national platform of French humanitarian, development and international solidarity NGOs _ have decided to call on the candidates in the 2022 presidential election to show them the need to create an international solidarity pact in the face of global crises.
Two demands for more efficient development aid
In a manifesto of international solidarityCoordination Sud's member organizations, including Aide et Action, recall that international solidarity is the only solution to the health, social, economic and environmental challenges of our world. They remind the candidates of the importance of implementing the Law on Solidarity Development (LOPDSI), which provides for quantitative and qualitative targets to improve the efficiency of French official development assistance since August 2021, and the need for the future government to co-construct France's solidarity policy with NGOs and associations.
Eight commitments for the future president
In total, eight commitments are proposed to the future occupant of the Elysée Palace, including official development assistance of 0.7% of GDP by 2025, of which 85% will be in the form of grants and half of which will target the least developed countries and access to basic social services. The NGOs also demand that the right of initiative of international solidarity organisations be strengthened in order to allow for the co-construction and joint implementation of development policy and consequently increase the means allocated to initiatives led by international solidarity CSOs. Today, French CSOs working for international solidarity receive only 6.7% of development aid, while the average for member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee is over 15%.
