New Chance for NZ as Global Citizen on Aid

Helen Clark’s appointment to the role of Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers New Zealand an excellent opportunity to become a responsible global citizen on development aid, said Green Party MP Dr Kennedy Graham.

"The appointment by the UN Secretary-General is a tribute to her leadership skills."

"Ms Clark has served her country in so many wonderful ways."

"They do not however include the implementation of New Zealand’s commitment of reaching the UN aid target of 0.7% Gross National Income(GNI)," said Dr Graham, the Green Party spokesperson on Development Assistance.

"In 1975, our aid stood at 0.52% (GNI). In 1999 when Ms Clark took office, it had shrunk to 0.23%. In 2008 when she left office, it had only risen to 0.27%. Her commitment in 2007 to a goal of 0.35% by 2010 was an insufficient step, too late in her career.

"New Zealand stands a miserly 16th out of 22 OECD donors – the 7th most scrooge-like rich nation on Earth."

"Yet it is not too late to avoid slipping forever out of grace," said Dr Graham at an aid seminar in Wellington today sponsored by the Green Party along with Labour and others.

"Helen’s appointment is an opportunity for the current Prime Minister John Key, who describes himself as a ‘compassionate conservative’, to shoot for the UN aid target of 0.7% with a National-led surge."

"The claim that 0.7% is too big an ask in tough economic times fails the simplest test of logic – the figure is a percentage of whatever our economy is at any one time. It is therefore an test of our moral commitment to a fairer, and therefore safer, global community. In today’s world, that moral commitment has become a political imperative."

"The other argument against a rapid increase in a country’s aid programme – problems of delivery – is also unsound. New Zealand can immediately increase its multilateral contribution to efficient and effective UN aid agencies with good track records, such as UNDP and UNICEF. The fact that a former NZ Prime Minister of Clark’s calibre is now a leader of one, sounds a call to New Zealanders to show their true generosity of spirit."

"I call on our recent and current prime ministers – Helen Clark and John Key – to forge a cross-party alliance of historic proportion and ratchet New Zealand up the aid charts to the levels of the Nordic countries – where we belong" said Dr Graham.