Trocaire slams aid efforts from rich countries

Trocaire has sharply criticised rich nations for their disappointing attempts to alleviate poverty in the Third World.

Spokeswoman Sally O’Neill, speaking at an international aid conference in Mexico, said the international community has the resources to eliminate many of the problems in developing nations, but is unwilling to do so.

"The fact is that the world has made a commitment for the so-called millennium goals that by 2015, half the people who live on less than €1-a-day will have improved their situation," she said.

"We’re talking about very basic things here like universal primary education and reducing child mortality and improving the health of women and combating AIDS.

"The scale of the resources that are needed are not beyond the international community.

"To eradicate problems of ill-health in the developing world would probably take, over the next 15 years, about $40bn, but that’s US military spending in two days in Afghanistan."