The former EU-15 has surpassed the US as the top donor in 2006 with a total disbursement of $2.7 billion compared to the US with $2.5 billion. This leading situation is attributable to three factors, first a real increase in population assistance combined with a real decrease in US population assistance and a slightly favourable exchange rate for Euro contributions. Overall, donors in 2006 made noteworthy progress in meeting their ICPD funding commitments with the first increase in funding for reproductive health in three years. Other highlights include:

• The former EU-15 and the US account for 70% of global contributions to population assistance in 2006. 
• The UK remains the leading European donor of population assistance and with the Netherlands together account for 42% of EU contributions.
• Ireland substantially increased its efforts towards population assistance to 14.1% of its ODA. 
• Austria, Portugal and Italy still provide less than $10 million per year to population assistance, although Portugal shows a clear positive upwards trend while Italy a clear downward trend.

Despite these increases to population assistance, funding for family planning funding in absolute terms has been halved from its level a decade ago. The reason for this is that most new funding for population assistance has been directed exclusively towards HIV/AIDS. However, 2006 was also the year where funding levels for HIV/AIDS seem to have reached a plateau while, at the same time, funding for basic reproductive health increased slightly for the first time in three years. A three-fold increase in donor funding over the next four years will be needed if the new estimated needs for population assistance agreed by UN Member States in April 2009 are to be met.