Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik and Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson announced today that the Government is introducing benchmarks for the escalation of assistance to Africa and other low-income countries.By the end of the next parliamentary period, 65 per cent of Norwegian development assistance will go to Africa, and a total of 70 per cent to low-income countries in general. This is also in keeping with the G8 countries’ aim to double assistance to Africa by 2010.

The coalition government has focused more of its development efforts on the world’s poorest countries. The target of allocating 40 per cent of development assistance to the least developed countries (LDCs) has already been achieved.

- Norway is among the donors that provide most assistance to these countries. However, we are not content to stop there. The Government is therefore taking new steps to guarantee that Norwegian assistance goes to the world’s poorest countries, said Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. - Africa is the poorest region of the world, and also where the prospects of achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015 are poorest. More resources will also be provided to other low-income countries. This is why we are introducing specific benchmarks:

• At least 65 per cent of Norwegian development assistance will go to Africa by the end of the next parliamentary period.
• At least 70 per cent of all Norwegian development assistance will go to low-income countries, most of it to countries in Africa, but also to some Asian and Central American countries.
• Once this target has been reached in 2010, we will set even more ambitious goals for ourselves in the run-up to 2015.”

- Combined with the Government’s earlier decision to increase ODA to at least 1 per cent of Gross National Income in the course of the next parliamentary period, the Norwegian aid boost for Africa will be an important contribution to the fight against poverty, said Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson (Christian Democratic Party).

Press contact: Head of Information Espen Gullikstad, tel.: + 47 91 70 81 22.