Calls for state to act on aid promise
The Act Now On 2015 campaign was launched yesterday as a survey showed most countries in the EU would fail to meet their aid commitments to the word’s poorest people this year, leaving serious doubts over their long-term promise to substantially increase overseas aid by 2015.
The AidWatch survey shows just six out of the 27 European Union nations will meet their pledge to contribute aid to the value of 0.56% of gross national income – half a cent for every euro of wealth generated – by the end of this year. Ireland is among those that will not meet the target as a series of cuts in the overseas aid budget means the total sum contributed this year is likely to work out at around 0.52% of GNI.
