Geldof understands cuts to aid budget
Saturday October 24 2009
OUTSPOKEN poverty campaigner Bob Geldof won't be adding to the Government's woes despite overseas funding cuts of €160m out of a €900m allocation in the past 18 months.
Trocaire's Justin Kilcullen had yesterday called on Bono and Geldof to put pressure on the Government not to slash the overseas budget any further.
But Geldof last night refused to condemn the cuts and said: "It's (the overseas aid allocation) relative to GDP, which they always said. They made no bones about that."
Geldof was in Dublin yesterday to present a prestigious humanitarian award to former Attorney General Peter Sutherland, which was accepted on his behalf by his daughter Natalia. And he stressed that Ireland remained the sixth most generous nation in the world, based on per capita donations for overseas aid.
"That seems to be a (government) policy that articulates the national will," he said.
Geldof added: "I am painfully aware that me, who is ok, is carping on (sic) to people in this country who are seriously hurt by this current malaise," he said.
Geldof was speaking before launching the Chello Foundation in Ireland and presenting the Humanitarian Achievement Award to Peter Sutherland for "his outstanding contribution in the United Nations".
The Chello Foundation is a charity which focuses specifically on advancing the education of orphans and children affected by HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Grainne Cunningham
Irish Independent
