The technologies that came to the fore in Haiti are not new. They include everyday technologies -- mobile phones, online mapping tools, GPS, and social networking. What is new is their use in the humanitarian context at the scale seen in the global response to Haiti's catastrophic quake.

Japan has indicated it wants to exit from the system of aiding poor countries. The move comes at a time of weakening US economy, and China’s drive to enlarge its role in the arena of aid politics in both Africa and Asia.

They are part of a broader move to quell anti-Americanism by convincing Pakistanis that the US has a deeper commitment to the country, a key ally in the war in Afghanistan.

Malta's contribution in overseas development aid was superior to that provided by many countries which joined the EU during the same enlargement with Malta. Deputy Minister Tonio Borg told Parliament yesterday that Malta's contribution at 0.19 per cent of the Gross National Income (GNI) for 2008 was far superior to the contribution made by Estonia, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. The aid for 2009 amounted to 0.17 per cent of the GNI. The aid was both in cash and in kind.

What we have failed to notice is how it [foreign aid] also makes pariahs of those countries in international public opinion, stealing their dignity as proper states with history, culture, nature, wisdom, language, learning and human endeavour by branding them as nothing more than victims and beggars for decades to come.

The Russian delegation, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Serguei Ryabkov, offered Nicaragua a generous package of aid in the areas of transportation, budget assistance and technical support..the Russian government agreed to provide Nicaragua with $10 million in budget support, a new fleet of inner-city buses and a shipment of LADA vehicles, as well as reinitiate a twice-weekly commercial flight from Moscow to Managua, via Cuba.

One of Brazil’s most influential weekly magazines with strong penetration in political and business circles, ‘Veja’ has a main article this week calling neighbouring Paraguay the “rich beggar”, a role which the successive Paraguayan governments “have played to success attracting significant international aid and grants”.

President Obama, his foreign policy team, and Congress are on the cusp of redefining how the United States approaches foreign assistance. As they undertake their aid reform effort this year, they're promising to get serious about ensuring that American funds are used wisely.