Press Release

Monday March 9 2009

NGOs launch public campaign on proposal to mix trade with aid

New Zealand NGOs have launched a campaign and website www.dontcorruptaid.org.nz aimed at getting wider consultation on merging NZAID with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) before the decision deadline on March 13.

Aid agencies don’t believe this approach will bring effective relief to those who need it most and this was proven by the reviews which led the Labour Government to separate the two departments in 2002, said TEAR Fund executive director Stephen Tollestrup.

“NGOs want to have input into this decision and believe that with dialogue, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully can make a more informed decision. That is why we are asking the public and those in the aid sector to get behind the campaign so that we can debate this issue.”

NGOs are calling on the public to write to the MPs involved, to get blogging through the site www.dontcorruptaid.org.nz and to go on Face Book with their friends, said Mr Tollestrup.“ On the website the public can find simple ways to contribute to the campaign that take as little as a minute to complete. “Only mass public action can sway the government to open up this debate.”

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Mr Tollestrup said, while trade and aid can work together they can easily get confused, opening up aid to manipulation by the most powerful and leaving little or no benefits for the poorest and most vulnerable in the developing world.

“We don’t want aid to become a political football; used as leverage for trade talks, or to coerce weaker nations to fall into line with NZ government policy and we believe the Kiwi public doesn’t want that either.

“We have an aid distribution model that is respected world wide and If New Zealanders want retain the integrity of their aid delivery so that it goes to the poor and not the elite in developing countries, they need to get behind this campaign and request that Mr McCully reconsiders his position on this issue.

ENDS

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