Thursday, 7 April 2011 - Strasbourg
Explanation of vote:
Pino Arlacchi (S&D ), in writing . − I voted against the joint motion on the Fourth United Nations Conference on least developed countries because the motion is not focused enough on the problem of international aid ineffectiveness.
The motion, and the statement by the Commission during the parliamentary debate, ignore the current critical discussion on the last 50 years of international aid to the countries of the global South, and ignore the lessons to be drawn by past failures and successes. Why the monumental failure of the aid to Africa? Why the monumental failure of the World Bank policies on development and poverty reduction? Why the huge scandal of foreign aid delivery to Afghanistan during the last 10 years? Why the huge success of the poverty elimination policies in China, Vietnam and Brazil? If we are not able to answer these difficult questions, we will never be able to use the EUR 60 billion in development aid for the benefit of the least developed countries.
[source: www.europarl.europa.eu]