DATA today welcomed UK Chancellor Gordon Brown’s commitment to spend at least $15 billion on aid for education over the next ten years. When G8 finance ministers meet in April in Washington and when G8 leaders meet in July in St Petersburg they should make clear how they intend to implement the commitment they made in 2005 to ensure a basic education for every child. Currently 100 million children in the world’s poorest countries do not get to go to school. African governments should now develop clear long term plans to deliver education for all.

“This is great news. Last summer, the G8 made a promise on education to the poorest of the poor, and Gordon Brown is following through. This is a man who believes going to school should be a right not a privilege. We want to see leaders like President Bush, Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Harper step forward. One thing that all these leaders agree on is that to fight extreme stupid poverty, getting kids in schools is one of the best investments we can make” said DATA founder Bono

“Education for all in Africa is essential for the eventual eradication of poverty and was one of the historic promises made by the G8 at Gleneagles. Promises that were made because millions of people in Britain and around the world demanded them. We now move to implementation. In the next few weeks and months, starting at the World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, the leaders and finance ministers of the G8 must deliver as Gordon Brown has done so impressively today,” said Live 8 organizer Bob Geldof.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa) is the Africa focused campaigning group co-founded by Bono of U2.

2. At the G8 meeting in Gleneagles in July 2005 every G8 leader signed a communique? committing them to “support our African partners’ commitment to ensure that by 2015 all children have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality”