SID 2012 Section 1: Introduction

Introductory Note for Users

1. This release reports on the deployment of official financial resources by the United Kingdom to support international development, and shows how this funding is broken down by destination country or organisation, type of assistance and purpose.

2. This report provides information on the UK’s Gross Public Expenditure on Development (GPEX) which includes both the Department for International Development (DFID) programme and the element of official UK aid that is delivered through other UK Government Departments.  This report also provides information on the level of Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided by the UK.

DFID, GPEX and UK ODA figures

3. Aid is a broad term and SID reports on two different aggregations of development assistance:

• Total UK Gross Public Expenditure on Development (GPEX) / the DFID Programme.
• Official Development Assistance (ODA).

4. There are three main differences between UK GPEX/ DFID Programme and UK ODA data:

• ODA is reported on a calendar year basis, while GPEX is reported on a financial year basis.
• While GPEX covers gross flows, ODA is reported as a net figure, taking into account any loans repaid or grants recovered.
• ODA only includes aid to recipients (countries and organisations) defined to be eligible by the OECD DAC, while GPEX covers development aid to all countries.

5. The UK GPEX data presented in this report are produced on a mainly cash basis and are broadly consistent with the standards followed in the reporting of ODA. 

6. This publication also covers detailed information on the DFID programme.  The DFID programme includes bilateral and multilateral expenditure from DFID funds voted by Parliament including activities funded from the Conflict Prevention Pool.  Beyond DFID voted funds, the DFID programme also includes an attribution of EC budgetary spending (the UK is attributed a share of the EC’s External Assistance Budget based on total UK contributions to the EC. Each budget line is then attributed to either DFID or other UK government departments).  This report also excludes some DFID voted funds which are not counted as aid.

7. The UK is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) which is a forum for consultation among 23 donor countries and the European Commission.  The DAC sets the definitions and classifications for reporting on aid financing internationally, including ODA, and produces a statistical report on international aid flows annually.  As a DAC member, the UK is committed to transparent reporting of development assistance in a way that permits international comparisons. 

8. As well as ODA, the DAC also requires international reporting of ‘Other Official Flows’ (OOF).  These are official flows to developing countries that do not meet the ODA criteria.  More information on OOF is provided in the Glossary.

9. If readers are interested in making international comparisons, UK ODA figures which follow international reporting practices should be used. Readers interested in wider aid spend (not just ODA) should look at the DFID or GPEX figures (or figures reported to the DAC on ODA, OOF and Private Flows). Those interested in DFID in particular will want to focus on the DFID programme data.

10. It is possible to reconcile GPEX and ODA and also to present ODA in financial years. The following table shows a presentation of ODA in financial years.