Poverty reduction is the overriding objective of Denmark’s development policy. Danish development cooperation is aimed at helping poor population groups by ensuring critical investments in people and promoting sustainable development through poverty-oriented economic growth. Denmark will seek to underpin further progress in the field of democratization. The participation of women in the development process, a sustainable environment and the promotion of human rights and democracy are important concerns for Danish development cooperation. The delivery of effective development cooperation through strategic, performance-oriented activities centered on sector program support is a fundamental principle in Denmark’s development policy.
Denmark’s bilateral development cooperation is primarily channeled to a selected group of program countries that demonstrate the will and ability to promote long-term sustainable development. The countries that meet the conditions for receiving Danish development cooperation are challenged by severe poverty but at the same time live up to their responsibility to meet this challenge by formulating and effectuating long-term national poverty reduction strategies and working to consolidate democracy, respect for human rights and good governance.
Partnership is a cornerstone of Denmark’s development cooperation. Effective poverty reduction requires the establishment of partnerships on a broad front, both with the national and international actors involved in the formulation, effectuation and monitoring of the programs as well as with the partners in the development cooperation and other actors who are affected by the activities − governments, the private sector, and civil society, including poor and marginalized groups. Another fundamental principle of Denmark’s development policy is that this cooperation should be based on the program country’s own strategies and policies. The table below outlines the distribution of disbursements of Danish development assistance between the sectors and focus areas during 2008.
43 mio.
100 mio.
31 mio.
8 mio.
12 mio.
Total 194 mio. DKK
