Random Quotes

‘Initially some of these communities look so down hearted, wondering ‘what can we do for ourselves?’ Then you go back after three months and you see these women singing and dancing and working together’

— Shupayi Mpunga

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CWS supports the 'Point Seven' campaign calling for the New Zealand government to keep its promise on aid.

Aotearoa New Zealand, with other members of the UN, committed itself to halving global poverty and hunger by 2015.

To achieve this, more money must go to Official Development Assistance (ODA) to fund programmes that enable people to raise their living standards. The UN has set a target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) to be spent on ODA.

Although the New Zealand Government committed itself to this target in 1992, in 2002 it allocated only 0.22% GNI, a considerable drop from New Zealand’s high of 0.52% in 1975. The 2007 budget has moved that figure up to 0.3% and committed to increasing aid to 0.35% by 2010/11. However, New Zealand is one of only 2 OECD countries that have not set a timetable to meet the internationally agreed target of 0.7% GNI on aid by 2015