The Stop Poverty Malta campaign group, made up of 40 non-government organisations, has appealed to the Maltese government to show stronger commitment to the world's poor in terms of Overseas Development Aid (ODA).

It made the call on the occasion of Stop Poverty Day being marked around the world on Saturday.

A symbolic protest organised by the group was held yesterday outside Parliament in Valletta. Representatives of a number of organisations took part, including Moviment Graffitti, Kopin, Amnesty International Malta Group, the Diocesan Peace and Justice Commission, Integra Foundation, the Jesuit Community and the YMCA.

Stop Poverty also appealed to the government to improve transparency in reporting ODA figures, to provide detailed reports of expenditure and of aid beneficiaries, to issue an official development policy as promised and to stop imposing conditions regarding repatriation of migrants when giving aid.

The campaign said that according to the European Commission's April 2007 figures, Malta spent €7 million or 0.15 per cent of Gross National Income on ODA in 2006, compared to 0.18 per cent in 2004.

Apparently, what is reported under Malta's ODA seems to be primarily spent on migrants during their first year in Malta and on repatriating migrants, the group said.

A concert will be organised by Zizza Ensemble in collaboration with Stop Poverty Malta at the Sliema Surfside on Saturday at 8.30 p.m. The other performers are Access-To, The Deap Blue Project Band and DJ Bob. The aim of the concert is to raise awareness about poverty issues and to raise money in aid of a project in Ethiopia.

www.stopovertymalta.org