17 July 2007

Winston Peters to receive award for effort over international aid

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and other MPs will get a pat on the back and pep talk from one of the New Zealand’s rubgy greats tonight.

Former All Blacks Captain and New Zealand Rugby Union President Andy Leslie along with Sports Broadcaster John McBeth will be presenting Fair Play Awards to politicians who’ve contributed to building New Zealand’s international aid.

Tonight’s sporting theme continues with celebrated photographer Peter Bush also in the line up behind his camera.

The event marks the half-way point of the Millennium Development Goals – eight targets aimed at significantly reducing poverty by 2015. But as Council for International Development Executive Director, Rae Julian points out this is definitely a game of two halves and the second half will be challenging.

“We’re awarding Fair Play Awards to MPs from all parties even though it’s clear that there are varying levels of support for the goals from individual MPs as well as their parties”, says Council for International Development Executive Director, Rae Julian.

Other MPs receiving awards tonight include:

Prime Minister Helen Clark for leading a political party committed to the midpoint goal of giving 0.35 percent in international aid by 2015.

Peter Dunne, Keith Locke and Jim Anderton will receive awards for being key players in parties committed to reaching the overall target of 0.7 percent in aid by 2015.

Other supporters of Pointseven goals to receive awards are Steve Chadwick, Ann Hartley Lynne Pillay, Martin Gallagher, Darien Fenton, Barbara Stewart, Moana Mackey, Lesley Soper, Charles Chauvel, Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Dr Ashraf Choudrey, Maryan Street, Dianne Yates, Sue Kedgley, Jill Pettis, Metiria Turei, Lianne Dalziel.

Members of National, Act and the Maori Party to receive an acknowledgment fortaking part in the debate are: John Hayes, Paul Hutchinson, Murray McCully, Tariana Turia, Jonathan Coleman, Jackie Blue and Rodney Hide.

“This is a celebration of where we’ve got to so far,”says Rae Julian. “We are focusing on the recent lift in performance by the government this year and hoping that they will keep this impetus up for a better play in the second half.”

In 2000, world leaders, including our Prime Minister Helen Clark, signed up to the eight goals with aimed, among other things, to halve the number of people living on less than US$1-a-day by 2015.

Yet, seven years on and half way to the goal line, progress has been patchy and some areas, including the Pacific, are off target to achieve those goals. New Zealand has been trailing near the back of the international field compared to other countries in our level of international aid despite the significant increase in aid this year.

Currently, New Zealand gives 0.3 percent of GNI in aid and the Government’s promised to increase that to 0.35 percent by 2010. While this has signaled the most significant increase in many years, it still doesn’t put us on track to giving 0.7 percent in aid by 2015 – as was our international promise.

“We are hoping to persuade the current Labour-led Coalition government to commit to the rest of the way. National and Act also need encouragement to at least support the current government’s commitment.”

“The 0.7 percent goal is not an arbitrary line in the sand. It has been calculated as the level of aid that developed countries must give in order to achieve the MDGs. All developed countries, including New Zealand, need to meet their commitments over this.”

ENDS

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