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Maureen O'Neil, President IDRC,
has welcomed the increase of 8 percent (Canadian $353 million) in the the
International Assistance Envelope, announced by Minister Manley in the
Canadian Government Budget 2003. O’Neil said it was a day to celebrate and
that everyone in IDRC deserved to be commended “for such a great mark of
support” from the Government.
This is the first time in
history that IDRC has been specifically mentioned in the Budget. The Budget
2003 mention is a precedent worth highlighting because, by doing so, the
Government has clarified the process by which we receive our parliamentary
appropriations, at least for the time being.
O’Neil said that
Following the IDRC Board of Governors meeting on March 27 and 28, “ we will
have a clearer indication of our Program of Work and Budget and the details
will be shared with you.”
International assistance
will be increased by 8 percent in the current fiscal year and by 8 per cent
annually in each of the next two fiscal years consistent with the
Government's commitment to double the assistance budget by 2010. These
Canadian international assistance initiatives
build upon substantial increases announced in recent years.
Find more details on the Web
site of the Department of Finance at:
http://www.cga-canada.org/budget2003/budget03/budtoce/2003/budliste.htm
Most importantly, the
Canadian Government committed to "increase funding for the International
Development Research Centre by 8 per cent annually over the next two fiscal
years in recognition of its world-class reputation for supporting research
aimed at finding innovative solutions to challenges facing developing
countries."
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