DENMARK

VITAL STATISTICS
1996 population size	5.2 million
Total Official Development Assistance (ODA), 1996	$1,772 million
ODA as a percentage of GNP, 1996	1.04%
Total population assistance, 1996	$63.0 million
Population assistance as percentage of ODA, 1996	3.56%
Population assistance per $US million GNP, 1996	$371

POPULATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ASSISTANCE
OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Denmark’s unique policy of "active multilateralism" and high levels of aid make it an influential donor in the international population field. The Danish government has doubled its contribution to population programs following the ICPD, and gives the most population assistance of any donor country on a per capita basis and relative to the size of its economy. The government has chosen not to develop a bilateral program or domestic technical capacity in the area of international reproductive health, and channels most of its assistance in this area through UNFPA and IPPF. Denmark is an activist donor, seeking to influence these organizations on both policy and programmatic issues, including their geographic allocation of funds.

At the policy level, Denmark has truly embraced the Cairo population and reproductive health agenda. Official Danish documents state that "population is now an interdisciplinary, thematic priority area which should…always be taken into consideration, both in bilateral and multilateral Danish development cooperation." At international meetings, Denmark is at the forefront of the donor community in advocacy for ICPD goals.

1 Development Assistance: Policy and Funding

The Danish government is more generous than virtually all other donor nations in the overall aid it provides relative to the size of its economy. While on average, donor countries provide 0.4 percent of GNP in development assistance, Denmark gave a full 1 percent of GNP in aid in 1996 and 1997. Denmark has consistently exceeded the UN goal that donor countries provide 0.7 percent of GNP in development assistance, a noteworthy achievement since many other donor countries that have endorsed this goal are still struggling to reach it. Moreover, this level of aid appears politically sustainable, since the majority of the Danish people strongly support foreign aid. According to a 1995 survey, 75 percent of Danes endorse maintaining development assistance at the level of 1 percent of GNP.

An emphasis on poverty reduction guides the geographic allocation of Danish bilateral aid resources. In 1994, the Danish government released its development aid strategy, titled A Developing World–Strategy for Danish Development Policy Towards the Year 2000. According to this document, poverty reduction is the central goal of Danish development policy. Despite consensus on this goal, there continues to be considerable debate among policy makers on which strategies Denmark should employ to achieve it. The aid strategy calls for Denmark to concentrate its bilateral efforts in 20 priority countries with an emphasis on the poorest nations of sub-Saharan Africa. In 1997, Africa received 50 percent of Danish development aid, while Asian nations received 22 percent and Latin American countries 8 percent.

Aid administration in Denmark is effectively coordinated by a single Ministry which handles both bilateral and multilateral aid portfolios. Danish aid is administered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Within the Ministry, the "South Group" sets aid, trade and foreign policy, and a separate Minister for Development Cooperation is responsible for the implementation of bilateral and multilateral assistance programs. This arrangement is seen as optimal since a single Ministry houses both policy and implementation relating to foreign aid, reducing the need for formal coordination. Denmark has traditionally divided its overall development assistance equally between bilateral and multilateral channels.

2 The Policy Environment for International Population Assistance

Along with trade and debt relief, population is one of three priority themes for Danish development assistance. As part of the 1994 aid strategy development process, Denmark also reformulated its approach to population assistance, which it has traditionally supported solely through multilateral channels.

Denmark’s sexual and reproductive health and rights approach is highly consistent with the ICPD Programme of Action. The Danish strategy incorporates family planning and maternal and child health within a larger concept of "Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights." This broader definition includes the needs of previously neglected groups such as adolescents and men, and emphasizes the linkages between issues such as infertility, sexually transmitted diseases, environmental effects of population growth, declining fertility and economic growth, women’s and girls’ education, and sexual and reproductive health services.

Danish development policy embraces a strategy of "active multilateralism." This term refers to Denmark’s preference for relying extensively on the UN system and other international organizations to channel development aid, while also vigorously seeking to influence the policies and programs of these organizations. In keeping with this policy, Denmark provides significant financial resources as well as policy guidance to UNFPA, its most important multilateral partner in the population field. Denmark has, for example, recommended that UNFPA expand its activities in Africa, and in 1995 made a special supplementary contribution of about $6 million in funds to UNFPA earmarked to advance the ICPD agenda within the region. Denmark has also suggested that UNFPA increase the use of NGOs in program implementation, and decentralize and retrain its staff to enhance their capacity to implement the Cairo agenda in the field.

3 Trends in Funding for Population Assistance

Overall Funding Levels:

Denmark has steeply increased its population assistance levels, particularly since 1994. Between 1993 and 1996, Denmark more than doubled its allocations to population from $29 million to $63 million. In 1996, Denmark was the sixth highest donor in the population field, providing almost 5 percent of total donor resources for population programs. Historically these high funding levels have been allocated between multilateral and NGO channels; Denmark has no bilateral population program.

Multilateral Funding:

Denmark’s core contributions to UNFPA account for a large proportion of the overall increase in Danish population funding since 1994. Denmark rose from the fifth highest ranking donor to UNFPA in 1993 to third place in 1997, when contributions amounted to $33.8 million. The Danish contribution to UNFPA actually peaked in 1996 with a contribution of $47 million, when it also provided a small amount of additional funding for multi-bilateral projects. That year Denmark ranked as the second largest donor to UNFPA, behind Japan.

In 1998, Denmark pledged approximately $33.5 million in core funds to UNFPA. Support for 1999 is expected to be maintained at roughly this level, with additional funds earmarked for the ICPD mid-decade conference.

Funding for NGOs:

Denmark has an explicit policy of supporting NGO involvement in reproductive health program implementation. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the most prominent international NGO in the reproductive health field, attracts significant Danish assistance. Danish core contributions to IPPF have increased steadily over the past decade, rising especially sharply, by over 20 percent annually, between 1993 and 1995. In 1997, Denmark contributed $12.8 million to IPPF and was the second largest donor to the Federation behind Japan. In 1996, Denmark contributed additional restricted funds to IPPF to advance the Cairo agenda in Africa ($1.7 million) and for IPPF’s Vision 2000 strategic plan implementation ($1.7 million). The 1998 Danish contribution to IPPF of approximately $11.4 million is expected to increase slightly in 1999