Honour commitment to overseas aid

TODAY, 30,000 children will die needlessly. It is our country’s great shame that we have reneged on our overseas aid promise to the world’s poorest people.

We ask that the Government does not further delay in its commitment to spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid beyond 2010.

Postponing the achievement of this commitment until 2015 is tantamount to stealing back over €2 billion from people dying of extreme and preventable poverty - 0.7% by 2010 is achievable and we ask Government to consider Jeffrey Sachs’ recent UN report, which outlines how €2bn can lift over two million people in low income countries out of poverty over the next 10 years.