Progressio has welcomed assurances from the Government that it will keep up its aid commitment to poor countries.

The Government repeated its promise this week to deliver 0.7% of gross national income in development aid to the world's poorest countries.

It cautioned, however, that much of the vital development work taking place around the world depended on the willingness of rich nations to fulfil their long-term commitments to developing nations.

"As rich countries meet at the Financing for Development Conference in Doha this week, there are very real fears that the downturn will lead to serious cuts in global overseas development aid," said Progressio's Policy Manager, Tim Aldred.

"We know that times are tough, but it is vital for rich nations to honour their pledges to the millions of people who are still living in poverty."

Progressio pointed to the example of Malawi, where the Catholic aid agency has recently started a new development programme. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa and food prices have soared in recent months, leaving many smallholder-farming families in Malawi struggling to find enough food to make two meals a day.

“Add to this an HIV and Aids pandemic that has devastated and plundered many of the development gains made in Malawi in previous years, and it’s easy to see why we cannot afford to lose a penny of international support," says Progressio's Malawi Country Director, Lloyd Simwaka.

In spite of the challenges, Simwaka says British funding has led to “real progress” on the ground in Malawi, especially in the area of civil and political rights and responsible governance that means fairer policies for the most vulnerable.

“We are happy, too, that our country has moved from having a serious food deficit – which saw five million people go hungry in the famine of 2001 – to becoming a net food exporter, with the 2008 maize harvest the highest on record”, says Simwaka.

“Subsidised seeds and fertilisers have helped boost harvests and income at the household level for more than 1.7 million farming families, lifting over a million out of poverty. While the subsidy programme may not be the silver bullet for the global food crisis, it has bolstered food security and freed people from hunger. And it has given people hope.”

Tim Aldred concluded: “Despite these clear improvements for the people of Malawi, which show the real difference development aid can achieve on the ground, it is the poorest people, like those in Malawi, who will suffer most in the economic downturn. If monetary commitments fall victim to the financial crisis, there will be grim consequences for global poverty."