Each year, CONCORD monitors the quality and quantity of the aid delivered to developing countries by the European Commission and its Member States. How much is pledged and how much is really delivered?
Discover its AidWatch report 2009 on 14 May at 10 am. at Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Bruxelles, Belgium. The launch of the report will consist of a press conference, followed by a round table discussion with aid experts.
On 18 May at 11 am, join a campaigning stunt called the “Eurovision Aid Contest” outside the Council building of the European Union in Brussels. Just two days after the final of the real Eurovision Song contest, this stunt will be a Eurovision aid contest amongst four key EU governments competing for places and points awarded by a “panel” of expert judges. Countries will be judged on the basis of their performance on aid quantity and quality.
The stunt will take place rue Belliard (close from Schuman square in Brussels)/ It should be a blast :-).
About the Aid Watch campaign
AidWatch is a campaign which was born out of the intention of European civil society organisations to keep the European Union to account on the quality and quantity of its aid to developing countries. In concrete terms, this sees CONCORD and its members calling on EU Member States to keep their promise to give 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) to developing countries by 2015 and 0.56% by 2010. The twelve countries that joined the European Union after 2002 have committed to reach 0.17% in 2010 and 0.33% in 2015.
At the same time, the aid they provide should be genuine i.e. it should represent a real transfer of resources from Europe to the South. It should also be quality aid which works for the poor.
The main focus of the campaign is the annual AidWatch report, which comes out in May and features information on aid quality and quantity from all 27 Member States and the European Commission.
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