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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:115%">The $1.3bn question: where is your
aid money going?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Dear
supporter,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">The
Australian Government’s taxpayer funded aid arm, AusAID, now spends about
$1.3bn annually through multilateral organisations – huge international
organisations each with their own focus, priorities and members vying for
influence. AusAID is currently ranking these organisations based on ‘effectiveness’
with money likely to be funnelled to those who rank highly. But have AusAID got
the criteria right? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">AID/WATCH
have been busy analysing these different organisations to provide an
independent assessment of their effectiveness based on ecological footprint,
record on labour rights and commitment to working with the world’s poor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">We’ll
be <b>discussing our assessments</b> next <a href="http://www.aidwatch.org.au/events/the-13b-question-where-is-your-aid-money-going" target="_blank">Thursday 29th March in Sydney </a>and would love to see you there! Come and hear
our ideas about how the multilaterals stack up in a social justice framework,
and join in the discussion about how we evaluate and understand multilateral
organisations and their relationship to the Australian aid program.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt">When: <span> </span></span></b><span style="font-size:12pt">Thursday 29 March, 6.30-8.30pm</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt">Where: <span> </span></span></b><span style="font-size:12pt">Amnesty International Australia</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span> </span><span> </span>79
Myrtle St</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span> </span>Chippendale, Sydney</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Entry
fee by donation</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%">RSVP </span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%">on <a href="http://facebook.com/AIDWATCH" target="_blank">facebook.com/AIDWATCH</a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%">Update: AusAID, Toll Holdings and the
troubled Cambodian railways project. What happened next</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Last
month we released the report <i><a href="http://www.aidwatch.org.au/news/aidwatch-new-report-off-the-rails-ausaid-and-the-troubled-cambodian-railways-project-0" target="_blank">Off the Rails: AusAID and the troubled Cambodian Railways Project</a>,</i> which detailed how
an AusAID funded railway rehabilitation program in Camobdia had led to the
displacement of hundreds of people, harassment of communities opposed to
displacement and advocating NGOs being shut down. The report also critiqued the
involvement of Australian company Toll Holdings in the project, particularly
why aid money was funding a defacto privatisation program which Toll was likely
to gain greatly from. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Since
then AusAID have been <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/estimate/7afd22ed-c48e-4bfa-afdd-f0c6c22a0235/toc_pdf/Foreign%20Affairs,%20Defence%20and%20Trade%20Legislation%20Committee_2012_02_16_800.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22committees/estimate/7" target="_blank">grilled by the Greens</a> on their resettlement processes and
the implementation of adequate compensation for those displace by the project. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/business/toll-to-quit-cambodia-rail-plans-20120313-1uyeo.html" target="_blank">Recent reports</a> now suggest that Toll Holdings, the private company with a 30 year
agreement to operate the railways will be pulling out of the controversy
plagued project. Toll are currently being very shy about their movements, but
we’ll keep you updated on this and how the issues raised in the paper are being
addressed as things progress</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%"> </span></p>Keep up to date with AID/WATCH on our <a href="http://www.aidwatch.org.au" target="_blank">website</a> and on<a href="http://www.facebook.com/AIDWATCH" target="_blank"> facebook</a>
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