Geldof pushes Brown for more action on aid to poorer countries
-29/09/06
Indefatigable
Geldof pushes Brown for more action on aid to poorer countries
-29/09/06
Indefatigable anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof, whose achievements include Live Aid and Live8, has urged UK chancellor Gordon Brown to come up with £400 million in new money to help assist developing countries.
It was a case of a high-profile atheist pushing a Cristian politician to hold to action pledged on the basis of his self-declared upbringing, and desire to put ‘soul’ into politics.
Appearing at this weekís Labour conference alongside the man who hopes to succeed Tony Blair as PM, the Boomtown Rats singer said rich nations were falling behind on their aid pledges.
Now he has also sent a follow-up writen message to reiterate his point.
Geldof said the UK might be needed to fill the gap left if countries like Italy were unable to fulfil their own promises.
He also caused controversy by claiming that President George W. Bush’s plans to fight Aids by promoting sexual fidelity were working in some areas of the world. This is contested by development groups, who say that denying condoms to people is leading to more disease and death.
But Mr Geldof went on to say that this should not imply that he was backing ìa fundamentalist Christian agendaî on HIV-AIDS action.
Mr Brown joked that the Live Aid founder was both his “mentor and tormentor”. Geldof has said he wanted to “nail” Mr Brown as he pressed for new commitments in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review, which sets the government’s budgets for the next three years.
He said £110 million had been spend on international development last year but the UK, like other nations, was “falling behindÖ and to get back on track, the comprehensive spending review really needs to commit around £400 million in new money.”
The UK Government aims to be giving 0.7% of its GDP in aid to developing countries by 2013.
Chancellor Brown claimed 10 million of children’s lives could be saved through a new deal with the Gates Foundation on vaccinations in developing countries against diseases like tuberculosis.
And he said a scheme headed by Nelson Mandela to drive for a school place for every child in the world would be a fitting way to commemorate next year’s bicentenary of the abolition of slavery.
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn told delegates Labour’s tripling of the aid budget was lifting 5,000 people out of poverty every day.
Church and development campaigners are continuing to push the wealthy G8 nations to hold to (and in some cases radically extend) their pledges on aid, debt and trade to impoverished nations. They say it is about justice, not charity.
Geldof pushes Brown for more action on aid to poorer countries
-29/09/06
Indefatigable anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof, whose achievements include Live Aid and Live8, has urged UK chancellor Gordon Brown to come up with £400 million in new money to help assist developing countries.
It was a case of a high-profile atheist pushing a Cristian politician to hold to action pledged on the basis of his self-declared upbringing, and desire to put ‘soul’ into politics.
Appearing at this weekís Labour conference alongside the man who hopes to succeed Tony Blair as PM, the Boomtown Rats singer said rich nations were falling behind on their aid pledges.
Now he has also sent a follow-up writen message to reiterate his point.
Geldof said the UK might be needed to fill the gap left if countries like Italy were unable to fulfil their own promises.
He also caused controversy by claiming that President George W. Bush’s plans to fight Aids by promoting sexual fidelity were working in some areas of the world. This is contested by development groups, who say that denying condoms to people is leading to more disease and death.
But Mr Geldof went on to say that this should not imply that he was backing ìa fundamentalist Christian agendaî on HIV-AIDS action.
Mr Brown joked that the Live Aid founder was both his “mentor and tormentor”. Geldof has said he wanted to “nail” Mr Brown as he pressed for new commitments in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review, which sets the government’s budgets for the next three years.
He said £110 million had been spend on international development last year but the UK, like other nations, was “falling behindÖ and to get back on track, the comprehensive spending review really needs to commit around £400 million in new money.”
The UK Government aims to be giving 0.7% of its GDP in aid to developing countries by 2013.
Chancellor Brown claimed 10 million of children’s lives could be saved through a new deal with the Gates Foundation on vaccinations in developing countries against diseases like tuberculosis.
And he said a scheme headed by Nelson Mandela to drive for a school place for every child in the world would be a fitting way to commemorate next year’s bicentenary of the abolition of slavery.
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn told delegates Labour’s tripling of the aid budget was lifting 5,000 people out of poverty every day.
Church and development campaigners are continuing to push the wealthy G8 nations to hold to (and in some cases radically extend) their pledges on aid, debt and trade to impoverished nations. They say it is about justice, not charity.