MEPs call on EU to give half of aid to poorest

Today, the European Parliament voted on the “Financing for Development” (FfD) report in preparation for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, taking place in Addis Ababa on 13-16 July. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) confirmed the Parliament’s ambition and determination to deliver for the world’s poorest and hardest to reach.

Valentina Barbagallo, ONE’s Policy and Advocacy Officer, said:

“Today the Parliament has once again shown its strong commitment to deliver transformative change for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. MEPs have called on the EU and its Member States to agree on a timebound commitment to spend 0.7% of the EU’s collective Gross National Income (GNI) on aid. What’s more, the European Parliament has gone even further in its new demand for the EU to focus on the hardest to reach by directing half of aid to the Least Developed Countries.”

“At next week’s Foreign Affairs Council, EU Development Ministers will hold the future of the world’s poorest in their hands. If ministers follow the bold recommendations made by the Parliament, they will demonstrate admirable commitment to ending extreme poverty and will go a long way to setting the tone for this year’s key decision-making moments, such as the G7 summit in June and the Financing for Development conference in July.  Member States cannot afford to let this once-in-a-generation opportunity slip by.”

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Notes to editors

• Contact, information & interviews: Tess Uytterhoeven| Media Manager | [email protected] | m: +32 (0)471 89 64 22

• The Financing for Development report is the European Parliament’s contribution to the European Union’s position ahead of the Addis Ababa conference. This conference brings together all countries to decide on how to finance the fight against extreme poverty. Together with the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will be adopted in September, it makes 2015 a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the lives of hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest.

• ABOUT ONE: ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of over 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programmes. To learn more, go to www.one.org.