Too much aid to Afghanistan is being wasted and a number of Western nations, including Canada, have not lived up to their pledges, according to a report by a group of humanitarian agencies.

The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), an alliance of 94 international aid agencies, said Tuesday the international community has pledged $24 billion US since 2001, but has only delivered $15 billion.

"The reconstruction of Afghanistan requires sustained and substantial commitment of aid but donors have failed to meet their aid pledges to Afghanistan," Matt Waldman, Afghanistan policy adviser at the international aid agency Oxfam, said in a statement.

"Too much aid from rich countries is wasted, ineffective or unco-ordinated."

The U.S., while Afghanistan's biggest donor, records a shortfall of $5 billion, about half of the $10.4 billion pledged, the organization said, sourcing the Afghan government.

Canada has pledged $779 million, according to the figures, but is short $48 million.

"I think Canada has performed very well. It has made a very large contribution to Afghanistan, over $700 million," Waldman told CBC News.

Only half of pledged World Bank aid distributed

In a statement issued in Ottawa, the Canadian International Development Agency defended its record when it came to disbursing aid for Afghanistan.

"Canada takes aid to Afghanistan seriously, as evidenced by the fulfillment of almost our entire aid commitment," the statement said. "As the Manley Report indicated, we need to do more to improve the effectiveness of our aid and are examining ways to do so.

"But the combined effect of having this shortfall in aid is that no doubt insecurity has spread, and we have to acknowledge that there are links between security and development."

The European Commission and Germany distributed less than two-thirds of their pledges of $1.7 billion and $1.2 billion respectively, the organization said.

The World Bank pledged $1.6 billion but has only distributed roughly half that amount. The United Kingdom pledged $1.45 billion but has delivered $1.26 billion. France has come up nearly $30 million short of its $109 million pledge.

Among the countries cited, only Italy has met its commitments, having pledged and donated $424 million.

The shortfalls are hurting efforts to rebuild infrastructure and ensure delivery of services such as education and health care, the report said.

The group also slams the way in which the money has been spent, estimating that 40 per cent of it returns to some countries through corporate profits, consultant salaries and other costs. This increases the costs of projects, the report said

As well, too much is spent on military operations compared to tackling poverty, Waldman said. He said while $100 million a day is spent by the U.S. military, $7 million a day has been spent by all donors on aid.