On 15th January, the UK government released draft text of the legislation announced in November, to commit to dedicating 0.7% of gross national income on aid from 2013.  The 0.7% target has been an international commitment for forty years, and the legislation represents a historic opportunity to see this promise delivered.  For Non-Governmental Organisations in the UK, one of the longest standing advocacy goals in aid seems, at last, to be within touching distance.  

A timely, comprehensive practical guide for combating corruption in relief and reconstruction has been published yesterday by Transparency International (TI), the global anti-corruption organisation, in collaboration with seven major humanitarian agencies.

The guide, Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Operations: A Handbook of Good Practices, gives aid workers facing immense pressure and challenging environments the tools to confront corruption, so that they can focus on saving lives and long-term recovery.

Alongside a welcome focus on greater accountability in G8 development promises and increased investments in child and maternal health, Canada will be ‘reinvigorating the global campaign against extreme poverty’ at this year’s G8 and G20 meetings.

Charles MacCormack outlines four core principles which must guide aid reform in Haiti. Achievements of U.S. foreign aid to Haiti have included halving the child mortality rate in less than 2 decades. However, "Haiti has remained impoverished and so it’s clear, we must do much better". This requires increased accountability through transparency, and the empowerment of one U.S. agency to oversee the development in Haiti. MacCormack argues that "USAID should also lead development efforts, so that the fractured efforts of the dozen U.S.