Charity aid ‘must be good for the world and for Guernsey’
WORK has already started on the new model of Overseas Aid, which was approved by the States in the summer, Overseas Aid and Development Commission president Emilie McSwiggan told the Assembly yesterday.
In her general update, she said she had little to add to what was debated then, but with 2020 being the 40th anniversary of the Overseas Aid and Development Commission it was a good time to look to the future, ‘making sure that our approach to international development remains good for the world and good for Guernsey’.
She highlighted the work that the commission had done in supporting Rotary in Guernsey’s campaign to rid the world of polio and said that earlier this month the charity had celebrated 60 years of Guernsey being polio-free.
There was also the 25th anniversary of Fairtrade and she thanked people who had replied to the commission’s letter about Fairtrade and the responses would help set Guernsey in good stead as it moved towards being re-accredited as a Fairtrade island.
During questions, Deputy John Gollop asked how the commission could assure and answer those who posted comments online or elsewhere about its work.
Deputy McSwiggan said during her speech that there was a new infographic available that indicated the level of support of the commission for initiatives around the world.
Deputy Gollop also asked if there was a move towards fewer grants but of larger amounts being made and Deputy McSwiggan said this was going to be part of its new model.
Deputy David De Lisle wondered how much of the money donated by the commission was spent on the recipient groups’ administrative costs. Deputy McSwiggan said it was probably less than it should be since the commission undertook to fund projects in the field.
But it was important to make sure that there were sufficient funds going to a charity to help it do its work and perhaps the States needed to look into this further in future.
Since she will not be standing at the next election and so would create a vacancy as president of the commission, she invited members who were interested to attend a meeting to find out more about it.
She said the work of the commission had helped establish the island’s place in the world, ‘a small but not insignificant force for good. It’s work worth doing’.
