Press statement Thursday, 29th of January 2009
For immediate release

Response from the Council for International Development to the Government’s Changes to NZAID

“The Council for International Development (CID) is disappointed that Minister McCully has chosen to bring NZAID into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and to change the New Zealand aid agency’s poverty elimination focus to one of economic growth,” says David Culverhouse, Executive Director of CID.

“But we welcome the signaling of an increase in New Zealand’s current aid spending – currently low in international terms – and the continued commitment to the policy of focusing development efforts on the Pacific region

“CID will continue to work with the government to find ways of using sustainable economic growth to address critical issues of poverty, and mitigating the effects of the current financial crisis on the poor.”

The NGO community shares the government’s view that development assistance should be as effective as possible, so that every dollar spent delivers the maximum possible benefit to people living in poverty. We look forward to seeing details of how the new government intends to improve aid delivery and improve outcomes for the poor.

“Working with limited budgets and small staff numbers, NGOs have long been in line with the government’s present focus on reducing overheads and getting best value for money. We remain focused on finding the most effective ways to deliver aid, with the aim of creating a safer, fairer world,” says Mr Culverhouse.

For more information contact:

David Culverhouse, Executive Director, Council for International Development (CID)

ENDS

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