British aid to Caribbean countries being diverted to Iraq

Saturday, November 8, 2003

LONDON, England: The Department for International Development (DfID) in Britain has announced that it is to divert £100 million (US$170 million) of aid money to Iraq. More than 21 countries worldwide will be affected, with DfID closing programmes in Anguilla and reducing spending for Jamaica. Aid for Montserrat would be retained however.

In the announcement, DfID said its overall aid spending would increase during the next two years. But because of new DfID plans to target lower-income countries, programmes in middle-income counties will still be reduced.

Andrew Croggon, head of Christian Aid's Latin America and Caribbean division, said: 'Although the countries identified for a reduction in aid fall into the category of 'middle-income', this should not obscure the fact that many of these countries are characterised by severe pockets of poverty and by large and growing inequalities.

Christian Aid and other British agencies have been working along side DfID to help address some of the key problems of poverty and inequality in middle-income countries and they say that British Government support for this vital work needs to continue.

  Back...

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version