Charities and church groups have joined forces to urge the Manx government to keep its promises on overseas aid – insisting our international reputation is at stake.
A campaign led by the One World Centre and backed by Bishop Robert Paterson, Christian Aid, the Catholic Church, the Salvation Army and Amnesty International among others, is calling on Ministers to stick to a commitment made in 2008 to contribute 0.7 per cent of government income to fighting global poverty.
Postcards in support of the 0.7 per cent campaign have been sent out to all Tynwald members urging them: ‘Let’s keep our promise on international aid. Not just the crumbs – we agreed to give a slice.’
The island currently spends just £2.4m on international aid. That’s 0.05 per cent of gross national income – less than one 10th of the UN recommendation – and only 0.25 per cent of gross government income. This places us at the bottom of the European league table, below Greece, Slovakia and the Channel Islands.
If the figure was to rise to 0.7 per cent of government income, the island would contribute £6.7m, 2.8 times the current amount.
Louise Whitelegg, chairman of the 0.7 per cent campaign and Christian Aid’s island regional co-ordinator, said: ‘They have not stuck to their promises.
‘If Greece and Slovakia can afford to pay more why can’t we? We need to think in the long term and look to the future to protect the world we live in. We are all global neighbours now.’
A CoMin report in June 2008 stated: ‘The Council of Ministers is committed to the Isle of Man being a responsible jurisdiction, which is able to contribute to the global fight against poverty in the developing world.
‘The ultimate goal is to achieve the internationally recognised standard for overseas aid contributions as a percentage of national income as and when it’s practical to do so. This standard can only be achieved in stages. In the first instance the Council of Ministers has set a target of achieving a funding level of 0.7 per cent of gross government income by 2015.’
A joint letter by the supporters of the 0.7 per cent campaign said that in the eight years since that CoMin declaration, hardly any increase – just £0.2m - has been forthcoming.
It states: ‘There has been no increase at all for several years. We recognise that this period has seen harder economic times, yet it has also witnessed continued robust economic growth in the island, with the World Bank now listing us as the eighth richest economy, in no small part due to our dealings with the wider world. As an offshore financial centre we need to take extra care to do no harm.
‘We are therefore calling on the Isle of Man Government to simply keep to that target it set for itself back in 2008 – to spend 0.7% of government income on aid. This would still leave 99.3 per cent for us! There is an issue of integrity here and government needs to show that it means what it says.’
Campaigners said this target could be achieved in steady stages by 2021 and they are encouraging each candidate in this year’s general election to publicly state whether they would support this, if elected.
Their letter adds: ‘We share one planet with all humanity – globally, ‘we are all in this together’ - and we cannot rest while such unfairness prevails.
‘Despite our real and pressing economic problems on the island, no Manx children need go to bed hungry tonight. The island’s international reputation is at stake on this issue.’