National Assembly Cape Town: 6 September 2007  

Madame Speaker, 

Thank you for allowing us this opportunity to debate the issue of Parliamentary oversight of state policies on foreign aid. 

The IPU is an international organisation which considers questions of international interest and concern and expresses its views on such issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians.  

So this will definitely be a fruitful debate, I am sure. 

Madam Speaker, 

Foreign aid is defined as international aid or development assistance when one country helps another country through some form of donation. Usually this refers to helping out a country that has a special need caused by poverty, underdevelopment, natural disasters, armed conflicts, etc.  

So in essence, foreign aid, as it is originally intended - assistance from one country to another - is a good thing, but in many cases it causes more problems than good and aid often comes with strings attached.  

It is right here where the problem lies and why proper oversight over state policies on foreign aid is extremely necessary. 

For example, food aid has at times been disastrous for Third World countries, especially on our continent, Africa.  

Dumping millions of tons of grain and other foods on a country lowers the agricultural prices driving many of the country's farmers into bankruptcy.

In turn this then leads to more food shortages and more appeals for foreign food aid, causing a dependency on hand-outs.  

It also in some cases leads to countries believing that their dire situation is beyond their control and therefore they must depend on begging for food or money rather than trying to rebuild and revive their economies themselves.  

Foreign aid in other words creates an enormous moral problem. 

Unfortunately the uncomfortable truth is also that some donors of foreign aid are not always motivated by generous causes either.  

Yes, some of the donors do believe in giving to solve a humanitarian crisis, but to other countries the practice of giving aid amounts to buying influence in the recipient country's government. In some cases the recipient country then loses some of its sovereignty, which is not the way it should be done. 

So the question then is: how does Parliament exercise proper oversight over state policies on foreign aid? The IFP believes that is should be done through our Constitutional Duty which states that Parliamentarians from all parties, as the leaders and the representatives of the country, should exercise meticulous oversight over the Executive. 

Oversight that is robust, strong and without fear.  

Oversight that will serve as a deterrent against the Executive offering or receiving foreign aid with hidden motives. 

As IPU Parliamentarians we have a duty to do so. We have a duty to make sure that countries don't become morally impoverished through foreign aid.  

I thank you.