Government pressured on development aid targets

The Government should stress its commitment to maintaining development aid targets, the Opposition said today.

Fine Gael Foreign affairs spokesman Billy Timmins called on the administration to restate its dedication to providing 0.7% of GNP to development aid by 2012.

Mr Timmins said: “At this week’s UN General Assembly meeting, millennium development goals must be kept on track and the main emphasis must be on food security and measures to keep prices down.

“Alongside this, the government should examine the possibility of diverting some aid funding to the World Food Programme (WFP) in view of the decreasing purchasing power of this fund.”

He called for measures to keep food prices down and more information on the impact biofuels are having on food poverty.

“I am looking forward to the task force report on hunger and hope that it will make recommendations which will assist in addressing food shortages,” the deputy added.