Hundreds of millions of people in developing countries will lose out if European governments raid their aid budgets to cover the costs of hosting refugees and tightening border security, a coalition of charities said on Tuesday. They issued their warning as the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), a group of the world's major donors that defines and oversees what spending can be counted as aid, meets in Paris this week to discuss the refugee crisis and the rules shaping aid spending for the next 15 years.
Faced with the substantial cost of looking after a record one million migrants who arrived in Europe last year, several governments have already diverted money from their development aid budgets to pay for hosting the new arrivals.
The coalition - which includes Oxfam International, the international development network Bond, the ONE campaign, the European Network on Debt and Development and Save the Children - called on European leaders to ensure that aid does not include defence, security or in-country refugee costs. "European leaders have the responsibility to meet the needs for refugees escaping insecurity, but it is important that this does not come at the cost of the world's poorest," Tamira Gunzburg, director of ONE Brussels, said. During its two-day meeting starting on Thursday, the DAC, which is part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development think-tank, will try to agree how peace and security spending will be measured as part of development aid, according to its website.