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Executive summary

This report summarises the performance of the Australian aid program in 2014-15. It reviews progress with implementation of the Government’s policy and performance framework for the aid program.
Chapter 1 reviews progress towards the 10 strategic targets set by the Government to assess the performance of the aid program as a whole. Good progress has been made against the strategic targets.

As at 1 November 2015, seven of the ten targets had been achieved, with another two on track to be achieved within the required timeframe. Performance against the remaining target on gender has improved, but the target has not yet been achieved.

Chapter 2 summarises the performance of country and regional aid programs. Overall, country and regional programs performed well against their strategic objectives and performance benchmarks in 2014–15, although differences in performance between and within regions remain. Addressing gender equality issues more effectively and improving monitoring and evaluation of aid investments remain common areas for further improvement. Chapter 2 also summarises international reporting of progress against the Millennium Development Goals for each major region where Australia provides aid.
The performance of global programs in 2014–15 is assessed in Chapter 3. Core funding to multilateral organisations and Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) continued to produce strong development results across a range of areas. Scholarship and volunteer programs also continued to perform effectively. Multilateral Performance Assessments for the Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP) were completed in 2015 and confirm that these organisations are performing effectively.

Chapter 4 examines the performance of the Australian aid program across the six priority investment areas outlined in the aid policy. For the first time, performance is also assessed in terms of disability-inclusive development and innovation. Aid investments produced strong results in most areas but gender equality and disability-inclusive development remain areas for further improvement.