This means that for the third consecutive year Germany has substantially scaled up its aid to the poorest. Roughly 2/3 of this increase will go to the Development Ministry, whose budget will increase by more than 12% from 2008 to 2009. €110 Million of this new money is generated by an innovative financing scheme through which the right to emission CO2 is being auctioned. The budget proposal will now go to the parliament which will decide in November.

With this substantial increase in the budget proposal, Chancellor Merkel follows up on last year’s achievements for Africa, when she hosted the G8 in Heiligendamm and a strong Global Fund replenishment conference in Berlin. Still, Germany remains off track in terms of reaching its commitment to use 0.51% of its Gross National Income (GNI) for ODA by the year 2010 and needs to work even harder on keeping its promises.

ONE and Germany NGOs have been welcoming the ODA increase while maintain that more efforts are needed to get Germany on track.

The singer and Africa campaigner Bob Geldof said:

“As we and our friends have been saying all year, Germans always do what they promise. Congratulations to the Chancellor and Minister Steinbrueck. With the Japanese G8 coming up, in the knowledge that the majority of leaders have failed to live up to their promises, this is a salutary reminder that when political promises are made to the poor, they must be kept.

“This magnificent gift from Germany to the poorest people is to be congratulated, but still it is not yet enough to put Germany on track to meet its 2005 binding commitments to the super-poor of Africa. But what a great start this year.”

About ONE

ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organization backed by more than two million people around the world dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.  For more information, please visit ONE.org.