Breaking news: in 2022 Lithuanian ODA has soared to 187 M EUR, 0,28 % of GNI.
This data is already made public, with a remark it is a preliminary one, and is accessible via the link https://ltaid.urm.lt/en/official-development-assistance/statistics/140
Lithuanian ODA of 2022 is almost three times more than in previous year of 2021, 73,05 M EUR.
This is the good news. 187 M EUR does make 0,28 % of Lithuania’s GNI. The figure 0,28% comes closer to the long-standing national commitment to contribute to development cooperation 0,33% of GNI. Until now, Lithuania’s ODA have been jammed for decades at the level of 0,1% GNI, i.e., one of the bottommost and sluggish donors for global development among the EU member countries. The almost three-fold increase of ODA in 2022 is mainly due to the Ukrainian war refugee costs incurred in Lithuania. Lithuanian reported aid to Ukraine in 2021 was 2,53 M, and in 2022 — 47 M, i.e., almost 20 times more. By April 2023, there are 80 thousand Ukrainian war refugees in Lithuania.
It is estimated, that Lithuanian support for Ukraine, public and private, including military
equipment and supplies, by the mid of 2023 will reach up in total 900 million EUR.
The generosity to Ukrainians is driven by Lithuanians concern for their own wellbeing and security.
By supporting Ukrainians, Lithuanians hope to sidetrack the threat of military invasion on their own country. Their strategy of individual and family adaptation to Russian “liberators” is entrenched in transgenerational narrative and constitutes a significant element of Lithuanian identity. However, the ardent support to Ukraine is not an excuse to absolve ourselves from the global challenges and development issues. The global hybrid info war strategy is to downgrade Russia’s brutal assault against Ukraine as a regional conflict, and sanctions imposed by Western countries as their conspiracy schema to cause food shortage in the global South countries, and manipulation with food prices. Our self-indulging flattery about Lithuanian’s unique experience in reforms and expertise and being an example for EU membership aspiring countries is not just irritating but increasingly upsetting. When the hybrid war is raging on, well targeted half-truth to begrudged soul may break down political allegiances and slam doors for future partnerships in development.
Instead of spending ODA money to preaching to Ukrainians, or Georgians, it would be more
important to demonstrate our determination to take hard lesson of listening and learning.
The development cooperation policy primarily is a policy on behalf of others, who are far away and cannot demonstrate in front of the government building. Lithuania don’t have a critical study, what the nation achieved during nearly twenty years since it engaged in the development cooperation.
Julius Norvila