Generally, in this Report, the Department uses the conservative end of the range. In addition, fluctuations in exchange rates over time can cause differences in the estimates. This is particularly noticeable for our Pacific allies, where large shares of cost sharing are conducted in host currency, and where we have recently experienced large variations in exchange rates. The OECD has a 29-nation membership including all NATO countries, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. Both categories, ODA and OA, cover identical types of assistance, with the only difference being the recipient nations.
Recipient nations move from one category of aid to the other depending on their development status.
In 1997, Moldova became an ODA recipient and Israel, an OA recipient nation. Foreign assistance data in this Report cover the period 1990 through 1998. At this time, complete and reliable foreign assistance data is available only through 1998 due to complexities and delays in the OECD collection and reporting process, and data are still not complete for some countries for 1990, and 1995-1998. Assistance data is not available for the Czech Republic in any years other than 1994 and 1998, and data for Poland is only reported for 1998. This is to be expected since these nations, along with Hungary, are primarily recipients of foreign assistance.