Rich Countries Have No Excuse for Broken Aid Promises

Responding to OECD
predictions that 2010 will see overseas aid stand at a staggering $21bn
lower than promised, Head of Oxfam Campaign, Emma Seery said:

"This missing $21 billion could pay for every child
to go to school, and could save the lives of 2 million of the poorest
mothers and children, making this failure of the richest countries
nothing short of a scandal.

Oxfam estimates it would cost $16bn each year to ensure that every
child gets the chance to go to school and $5bn would provide improved
medical care that would save the lives of about 2 million mothers and
children.

"Rich countries have no excuse for failing to deliver the aid
increases they promised - they have pledged to do more to save
mothers' lives but are falling short, making 2010 the year for them to
put their money where their mouth is."

Seery said: "These figures demonstrate the scale of challenge the EU
will be facing in adopting a rescue plan for European aid and the MDGs,
to be discussed for the first time at the EU Development Ministers
meeting in La Granja (Spain) this week."

"Countries such as the UK, Spain and Belgium are demonstrating it is
possible to show development leadership, and we still hope to see
others like France, Germany and Italy stepping up and making a rescue
plan a reality in 2010."

France, Germany and Italy are three of the countries who the OECD
projections expect to miss targets. Collectively the EU-15 who are
members of the OECD will miss their 0.51% aid target they committed to
in 2005, with OECD projections putting them at just 0.48% average in
2010.

Nine out of ten Europeans believe strongly that their leaders must
meet their aid promises, despite the economic downturn, according to a
recent Eurobarometer study.

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Read the report: Rescuing Education for All: How reform of the Fast Track Initiative should lead to a Global Fund for Education

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