How we decide who gets aid

We want to make sure that every pound we spend makes a difference to the lives of poor people.

That is why we are shifting more and more aid money to ‘fragile states’. Nearly a third of the world’s poorest people live in fragile states - these are countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where citizens often cannot rely on services such as water, education and justice. In many fragile states, basic rights to life and security are also violated.

Before we decide to give aid we look at the situation in a country. Is it under threat of war? Have other givers of aid bypassed it? Will it, like China or India, have a big impact on the world’s economy in the future? Ministers weigh these considerations before deciding how and where to spend your taxes.

The money we give to governments comes with conditions. We assess whether they are committed to tackling poverty, upholding human rights and managing public money wisely. They must also be determined to tackle corruption and be open and honest in how they govern.

Taxpayers want to know if their money is being used wisely and well. They don’t want to see it wasted. We must show we are getting concrete results for the money we spend.

We expect governments to publish a national action plan for ending poverty, first making sure that poor people have their say.

If a government veers from its aim to reduce poverty, we may decide to give money in a different way, for example through the United Nations. Or we may stop our funds - but this is always a last resort, because it hurts the people we're trying to help.

• Find out more about how we decide who gets aid.
• Visit the AIDA website to discover how individual aid projects are funded.