Total aid: US$2.01bn (donations)

Aid trend: Up 31% in 2002

Canada's aid budget, earmarked for cuts in the 1990s, was given extra funding again at the end of the decade. NGOs supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) are prominent on global development issues, and most Canadians approve of giving aid.

Aid now aims to provide know-how skills, rather than funding for large-scale development projects. CIDA has pioneered a theme-based approach, stressing health and nutrition, basic education, AIDS, and child protection. The regional focus of aid has gradually shifted, with less emphasis on Africa. Programs in the 1990s supported recovery and reform in former communist countries. Aid is now given to a range of countries; eastern Europe remains a particular focus.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004