PES Development Ministers call for development aid timetable - and immediate action on global food crisis
29 May 2009
Socialist and Social Democratic Development Ministers adopted a declaration calling on the European Union to adopt a timetable for increasing development aid and take immediate action to tackle the global food crisis.
The Development Ministers, meeting at the Party of European Socialists, declared their “strong commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals” and expressed regret that EU development aid actually decreased this year. They called on EU Heads of Government to adopt a clear timetable for achieving the increase of development aid to 0.56% of Gross National Income by 2010.
The PES Ministers’ declaration also called for immediate action to tackle the global food crisis including
• An increase in emergency aid to prevent starvation;
• An EU contribution to the $500 million needed to avoid a reduction in UN World Food Programme food rations;
• The European Commission to propose measures to prevent speculation on food prices.
Signatories of the declaration include Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Coordinator of the PES Development Ministers Network and German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development; Leire Pajín Iraola, Spanish Secretary of State for International Co-operation; Bert Koenders, Dutch Minister for Development & Cooperation; Josep Borrell Fontelles, Chair of the European Parliament Development Committee; João Cravinho, Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Gareth Thomas, UK Parliamentary under Secretary of State for International Development; Laszlo Varkonyi, Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Alain Hutchinson, PES Group coordinator in the Development committee in the EP; Charles Josselin, Senator, former French Development Minister; Petra Bayr, MP, Austrian Social Democrat Spokesperson on Development; Luciano Vecchi, PES Presidency Member in charge of Development; Kent Härstedt, MP and SAP Spokesperson on International Development Cooperation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Julian Scola, Communications Advisor - Media & Campaigns
Party of European Socialists, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels
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