The effects of the global economic crisis started to show for the first time in international aid budgets in 2011. Bilateral official development assistance (ODA) from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) countries saw its first decrease since 1997. Bilateral humanitarian assistance also reduced, albeit to a lesser degree (2%) than overall ODA (with 3% decrease from the 2010 levels). In 2012, both ODA and humanitarian assistance have continued to decrease (by 2.6% and 7.7% respectively), as more donors restrict their budgets. On the other hand, 2011 saw a severe – even if foretold – food insecurity crisis in the Horn of Africa region, as well as heavy flooding in Pakistan and Central America. Yet the 2011 United Nation’s (UN) Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) presented its lowest level of needs met in a decade.
