Australia Yearbook - 2001

108 Year Book Australia 2001
of poverty reduction guidelines by the OECD
Development Assistance Committee.
The International Seminar Support Scheme
(ISSS) assists developing country participants to
attend international development-orientated
seminars in Australia and overseas. Through their
participation, ISSS helps to develop knowledge,
technical expertise, networks and policies
relevant to the reduction of poverty and
achievement of sustainable development.
Applications for seminar support are assessed
on the degree to which they provide tangible and
practical development related outcomes. In
2000–01, $750,000 will be provided to the scheme.
Australian Centre for International
Research (ACIAR)
The recovery from the East Asian financial crisis
and from the severe droughts of 1997–98 in many
Asia Pacific countries has highlighted the critical
importance of agricultural development, both for
supplying dietary needs and as a potential source
of income. ACIAR has a unique and important
role on behalf of the Australian Government in
promoting collaborative research partnerships
that improve agricultural and natural resources
management in developing countries. ACIAR’s
work contributes to more productive and
sustainable systems of agriculture, fisheries and
forests, and to improved rural livelihoods.
ACIAR’s mandate is to mobile Australia’s research
capacity to help solve the agricultural research
problems of developing countries. ACIAR’s
outcome is to develop international agricultural
research partnerships that reduce poverty,
improve food security and enhance natural
resources management in developing countries
and Australia.
ACIAR continues to build strong programs of
agricultural research with its developing country
partners in support of their rural development.
These partners have worked hard to maintain
their project commitments in the face of the
financial crisis in South-East Asia, recognising the
crucial role of agriculture in sustaining their
recovery from the crisis.
In 2000–01 ACIAR will support more than
150 bilateral research projects in 27 countries,
with a primary focus in the Asia-Pacific region.
Under its multinational program, ACIAR will
support 19 International Agricultural Research
Centres (IARCs) through grants that link them to
Australia’s agricultural research organisations.
Approximately three-quarters of ACIAR’s research
and development budget is spent on bilateral
programs and one-quarter on multilateral
programs.
In response to a recent external review, ACIAR is
building stronger linkages to other donors
through closer collaboration. Expenditure by
ACIAR under the aid program in 2000–01 is
expected to be $44.7m.
A short history of Australian aid
The Australian aid program has undergone
considerable changes over the past fifty years.
Change has occurred in the administration of the
program, its focus, the major countries receiving
Australian aid and the type of aid provided.
Australia’s aid activities began before World War
II when grants, generally below $100,000, were
made to Papua New Guinea. In 1950
Commonwealth Foreign Ministers met in
Colombo and launched the Colombo Plan, which
was concerned with aid to South and South-East
Asia. Under the Plan, Australia provided a diverse
range of activities such as education scholarships,
technical cooperation, training and staffing
assistance to countries of the region.
In 1952 joint activities in other countries began,
with aid targeted at low income member
countries of the British Commonwealth. Papua
New Guinea, which was being administered by
Australia at the time, was the major recipient of
Australian aid, along with India.
After the mid 1950s, aid decisions continued to
be strongly influenced by political
considerations, but as more countries became
fully independent, and with changing
international perceptions, the motives
underlying the Australian aid program began to
change. Due to Australia’s historical links to
Papua New Guinea, aid to this country remained
at two-thirds of the total aid program. In the
1960s South-East Asia gradually gained more