NZ must back up talk at Rio with action to help world’s poor

New Zealand must back up talk at Rio with action to help world’s poor

Press Release: P3 Foundation

For immediate release: Monday 25 June 2012

New Zealand must back up its talk at the Rio+20 conference with action to promote sustainable development for the world’s poor says the P3 Foundation, a NZ youth NGO committed to eradicating extreme poverty within a generation.

“New Zealand did some great work at Rio, lobbying hard to try to end fossil fuel subsidies. But if we are going to tell others what to do, then we need to back it up with more action ourselves” said Sophie Goulter, a member of the P3 Foundation delegation attending the conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“In particular, we need to do more to help those living in extreme poverty around the world, who are often the most vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation.”

Speaking at the summit, Minister for the Environment, Amy Adams, pointed to New Zealand’s overseas development assistance as evidence of NZ’s commitment to sustainable development.

However, in budget figures released last month, the government revealed its intention to cut $133 million from planned aid spending over the next three years.

“We talk about being good neighbours, but really, we are letting down the world’s poor at a time when they most need a helping hand” said Goulter.

“We know there are ways to promote social, environmental and economic progress to build thriving and resilient communities. But we can only do this if we show a serious commitment to the world’s poor by being more generous with our aid spending, and by making sure our aid is effective and targeted at sustainable development.”

This message was echoed by former Prime Minister and head of the UN Development Programme, Helen Clark, who promoted a recent UNDP report entitled ‘Triple Wins for Sustainable Development’ at the summit.

The report highlights case studies of successful sustainable development initiatives in the developing world, and illustrates that social, environmental, and economic progress can be integrated to make a more sustainable future.

“We can’t pretend that issues of poverty and environmental degradation are too hard to solve. We know we can create a sustainable future, and so now is the time to stop talking and start putting our words into action” said Goulter.

ENDS

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