Ban urges G7, including Canada, to boost foreign aid
Posted May 30, 2014 1:48 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO (NEWS1130) – The secretary general of the United Nations is calling on Canada to boost its overall foreign aid budget to meet an ambitious international target.
Ban Ki-moon urged Canada and all G7 countries to spend 0.7 per cent of GDP on overseas development spending, significantly more than the 0.3 per cent threshold Canada currently meets.
Ban called for the increased spending while standing alongside Harper at the final press conference wrapping up a three-day international child and maternal health summit in Toronto.
Harper says Canada targets its foreign aid spending at programs that produce results.
On Thursday, the prime minister committed $3.5 billion in additional spending on child and maternal health over the next five years.
Ban says he is grateful for that contribution, and for Canada’s continuing support in humanitarian crises such as the civil war in Syria.
