International

"Rich western countries spend more on defence than aid"

Larry Elliott

Activists step up pressure for $50 billion more in assistance for the poor

LONDON: Rich western countries spend up to 25 times as much on defence as they do on overseas aid and have increased their assistance to the poorest African countries by just $3 a head since 1990, according to United Nations figures.

Research to be unveiled in the U.N.'s human development report later this year shows that every country in western Europe and North America has a bigger military budget than overseas development budget, with the biggest disparities in the U.S. and Britain.

Though the U.K. has increased its aid budget in recent years, the U.N. data reveals that for every £1 spent on development, £8 is spent on defence.

In the U.S., 1per cent — one cent in every dollar — goes on aid compared to the 25 per cent of the budget that is spent by the Pentagon.

The figures emerged as development campaigners stepped up their pressure on the G-8 to deliver an immediate $50 billions increase in aid at its summit.

Inertia

``G-8 leaders are hiding behind each other and are stuck in a swamp of inertia,'' said Jo Leadbeater, head of advocacy at Oxfam. ``We need to see leadership from countries such as Canada in order to get a breakthrough on aid. If this doesn't happen, the U.N.'s plan to halve world poverty by 2015 lies in tatters. This is the first time in history that the text of the final G-8 communique has been up for grabs this late in the game. There's still a lot to play for, but so far no sign of the breakthrough that people all over the world are demanding.''

War on Want said the deal on offer this week would provide only 20 per cent of the extra aid needed for Africa.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

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