Speaking after the news of the Danish Government’s decision to divert part of its overseas aid budget to the refugee crisis at home, as well as cutting its total aid budget, Diane Sheard from the campaign group ONE said:

“This decision by Government both to cut and to divert aid is misguided. Denmark has become the largest country recipient of its own aid. These funds are intended to help the developing world.

“It’s absolutely right that resources to help refugees are found, but the world’s poorest must not foot the bill. Diverting up to 32% of aid away from the poorest countries is exceptional for all the wrong reasons, and yet we are seeing a worrying pattern emerge across Scandinavia. Our message is clear: this is too much.

“This is a step backwards for a country which normally leans forward on development. Cutting promised levels of aid not only risks the lives of the world’s poorest, it means Denmark losing its position as a leader in the global fight against extreme poverty.”

ENDS

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About ONE

ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of nearly 7 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programmes. To learn more, go to ONE.org.