Transcript Uganda - School

Uganda
Background Information
Background
Information
Population:
27,269,482
GDP - per capita: $1,500
People living with HIV/AIDS: 530,000
Death rate: 12.8 deaths/1,000 population
Birth rate: 47.39 births/1,000 population
In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt
relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original
HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion.
Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price
of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Solid growth in 2003-04
reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.
Aid and Debt
Debt - external: $3.865 billion (2004 est.)
Aid
andlargest
Debt
The UK has been
Uganda’s
bilateral donor in recent years and
has provided around £740 million in development aid since 1986. The
UK’s ties with Uganda started when the area was placed under the
charter of the British East Africa Company in 1888, and was ruled as a
protectorate by the United Kingdom from 1894.
The European Commission has also adopted a humanitarian aid
package totalling €6 million for the victims of crises in Uganda. An
estimated 500,000 people are expected to benefit from these activities
over the next fifteen months. During 2000-2002 ECHO funds made
available for Uganda totalled nearly €3 million, with an additional €8
million made available in 2003.
However recently The Netherlands, mirroring similar activities by
smaller donor countries, has cut its budget support to Uganda by 27%
or (six million Euros) over concerns about the political transition and
budgetary indiscipline suggesting resources have not been allocated
as fairly as the Yoweri Museveni Republic Government have claimed.
Sri Lanka
Background Information
Background Information
Population: 20,064,776
GDP - per capita: $4,000
People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,500
Death rate: 6.49 deaths/1,000 population
Birth rate: 15.63 births/1,000 population
The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami devastated Sri Lanka. It took
about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and
443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion
worth of property. This has all meant that Sri Lanka has
recently been the focus of large amounts of Emergency
Donation Aid from across the world.
Aid and Debt
Debt - external: $10.85 billion (2004 est.)
Aid
and
Debt
The support given by the Department For International Development has been
providing in humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka following the tsunami disaster
and has mainly been channelled through United Nations agencies, the Red
Cross movement and non-governmental organisations. They have provided
£32.9 million to United Nations agencies for their Regional Flash Appeal, £2
million to the International Federation of the Red Cross Regional Appeal and
£1.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Even pre-tsunami however aid had become Sri Lanka's largest source of
foreign exchange. Sri Lanka has run a very large budget deficit (equal to 80%
of government revenue, and 20.4% of gross national product) - and as a
consequence, a phenomenal foreign trade deficit. In fact the economy has
become structurally dependent on foreign aid.
By December 2004, the country was heading for a balance of payments crisis,
as the currency depreciated and reserves dwindled. The December 26th
Tsunami however brought aid, foreign debt relief and assistance from the
International Monetary Fund and therefore short-term relief from a major
financial breakdown.