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LONDON - Aid to developing countries from the world's richest nations fell by nearly £3 billion ($8.2 billion) last year, despite international pledges to make poverty history.
Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that aid from 22 developed nations fell by more than 5 per cent last year. Aid from G8 countries fell by nearly 9 per cent compared with 2005.
The OECD warned that aid was likely to decline further this year before rising as long-term pledges of aid kicked in.
The organisation said the fall was the first since 1996, but said most of the decline was due to massive debt relief to Iraq and Nigeria in 2005 and said last year's aid figures were the highest on record, excluding the peak two years ago.
Aid agencies praised Britain's record on aid, which increased by nearly 16 per cent last year.
In 2005, the G8 leaders pledged to increase funding by £25 billion each year to 2010.
But Oxfam warned that aid figures were still "massively inflated" by deals to write off debts to Nigeria and Iraq, and accused rich countries of breaking their promises.
- INDEPENDENT
