Oxfam condemns government cut to aid budget and ‘another broken’ promise

Oxfam International Press Release
9 December 2009

Government cuts aid budget and breaks aid pledge

Today, Oxfam Ireland condemned the latest cut to Ireland’s overseas aid. The government spending estimates for 2010 show the government cutting the aid budget by €25 million, leaving the budget at 0.52% of GNI. This cut comes on top of a cut of €224m in 2009 or 24% of the budget.

“We’re extremely disappointed that the government has piled further cuts on the massive 24% cut applied earlier this year, once again hitting the poorest and most vulnerable”, said Jim Clarken, Chief Executive of Oxfam Ireland.

In addition to cutting the aid budget the government has now yet again broken a promise to the world’s poor. The promise, first made in 1970, was repeated in 2000 when the then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, seeking a UN Security Council seat for Ireland, promised that Ireland would keep the UN promise to spend 0.7% of national income (GNP) in Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2007. Five years later the government had broken this promise but, after the Make Poverty History campaign, announced 2012 as the new date for reaching the target. Now, this latest promise has been broken.

“After yet again breaking a solemn promise to the world’s poor, the government of Ireland’s word is now ringing increasingly hollow. After the broken promise of 2000 and 2005, we now have yet another broken promise in 2009. How can other nations, and in particular the world’s poor, now believe that Ireland will keep its word?” concluded Mr. Clarken.

A cut of this magnitude is more than the total amount of aid we gave in 2008 to Zambia, a priority country for Irish development assistance, and more than the government spent supporting the health sectors of all Ireland’s priority aid countries through the bilateral programme.

Yet another delay in reaching the 0.7% target will mean the loss of hundreds of millions of euros to the fight against poverty, depriving tens of thousands of access to healthcare, education, and support to people to work their way out of poverty.

Fur further information please contact Oxfam Ireland’s Media Executive Paul Dunphy on 0879058075

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Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.

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