Eloise Todd, Brussels director at ONE said:

“Today’s conference was a welcome initiative from the EU and France.  The European Commission’s pledge of €524 million, nearly half of the overall EU pledge, will make an important contribution to Mali’s recovery.  But the big picture is that aid budgets are shrinking across much of Europe, and the EU itself is looking to freeze aid spending over the next seven years.  It’s becoming a zero sum game that could mean less money to respond to other crises.  EU countries need to reverse aid cuts, prioritise the world’s poorest, like those in Mali, and make sure aid is targeted at the programmes that have the biggest impact on development, namely health, agriculture and education.”

Notes to editors

Co-founded by Bono, ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of more than three million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease… because the facts show extreme poverty has already been cut in half and can be virtually eradicated by 2030.  Learn more at ONE.org.

For further information or to arrange an interview with Eloise Todd please contact Dudley Curtis on +32 485 379945 or [email protected]