aid targets

Bob Geldof should take the first plane out of New Zealand, and go to the US if he really wants to make poverty history.

He is in New Zealand criticising our 0.27 percent of GNI aid effort , which he says is "pathetic",when the United Nations target is 0.7 percent. Perhaps Geldof should contact his G8 mates in Italy, United States and Japan, and tell them to cough up.

If the United States was giving just 0.27 percent instead of their paltry amount they will be giving about 11 billion a year more in aid. Perhaps Geldof is ignoring the US because it is not part of the UN and it gives the highest dollar figure. Our total of $383 million is peanuts in comparison.

Just five counties are meeting the UN's target of 0.7 percent of GNI income: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Luxemburg and the Netherlands.

However the Labour Government has not increased aid much since 1999. In fact it has increased just 0.02 percent to be precise.The 2005 Budget increased aid to 0.27% of GNI, but this was still only the same level it was in 1999. The government has pledged to increase ODA to 0.28% of GNI in 2007-08. At present this is the only firm commitment to an ODA target. To meet the UN target it will have to increase aid by $57 million each year.

So you can see why New Zealand is one of a handful of countries that has not set a timetable for the 0.7 percent target by 2015. Our target, ie: Labour's election promise, won't even be reached.