The dignity of the person

Italy's development aid will drop by 15.5% in 2023. The dignity of a person, of a country and of its government is consistency with the commitments undertaken. Not keeping your word compromises the very esteem that others, people and communities, may have for you. It is difficult to engage in development cooperation, in the relationship between peoples when your government cuts 631 million in 2023. We have fallen from 0.33% of gross national income allocated to public aid in 2022 to 0.27% in 2023.

Also remembering that a third of the funds allocated to international cooperation are spent on the reception of asylum seekers on national territory. So we can say that it is not a way to help the countries of origin grow and be able to do without migrating. And in the meantime we flaunt the Mattei Plan. And in the meantime we are inventing a control room for the management of the Mattei Plan by the Presidency of the Council, almost as if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation were not capable of doing so.

Also last year, five European countries - Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany - reached the target of 0.7%, a commitment made some time ago within the United Nations. We know that 0.7% is not an easy goal for us in Italy. However, the 070 Campaign was born precisely for this reason. To increase and certainly not decrease bilateral commitment. Yes, because it is easy to write checks for the benefit of the commitments we have with international agencies, less easy to work in bilateral relations.

The people of the poorest countries certainly ask us for attention, generosity, solidarity, but they also ask that our countries be coherent: that they work towards cooperation policies that do not forget that in addition to help there are many in our country who they pursue hoarding of local resources similar to real robberies, which supply weapons with the connivance of local governments. And they ask each of us for attention and lobbying so that we as countries assume this responsibly.

For reception, Italy invested 1,480 million in 2022 and 1,809 million in 2023: it had to do so because the increase in arrivals across the Mediterranean went from 104 thousand in 2022 to 155 thousand in 2023. The only way to reverse the trend is to urgently invest in bilateral cooperation.

Gianfranco Cattai
NP May 2024