The 2020 Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map reveals that aid to Pacific Island countries reached a new high in 2020.

According to Project Director Alexandra Dayant, aid increased by 33 percent from 2019 levels and more than doubled since 2008, with more than US$3.3 billion disbursed.

Dayant says development financing increased from US$3.1 billion in 2019 to a record US$4.2 billion in 2020.

He claims that the disruption of COVID-19 in the Pacific Islands has resulted in significant changes in the scale and structure of the region’s aid programs.

Dayant says major donors such as Australia have restructured their aid programs and moved toward new forms of aid, such as direct budget support, beginning in 2020.

He claims that multilateral donors such as the Asian Development Bank have also made significant contributions to the region’s economies.

According to Dayant, China has played a very limited role in the region’s overall pandemic response, but its assistance is increasing in its two most recent diplomatic partners, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.