International Aid- A Moral Duty

Over the past week there have been a series of announcements and debates in Parliament about cuts in public expenditure.  I very much appreciate the uncertainty and even anxiety that the prospect of cuts have been causing people who work in our much valued public services. But these are challenging times.

As the implications of the spending reductions reach through to all aspects of our lives, people have contacted me to question the commitment of the Coalition Government to protect the budget that is given to the Department for International Development (DFID) which currently stands at 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI).

The main question that people ask is “Why we are spending money on other countries when we are cutting funding at home?”

Firstly, it is in our national interest as the old adage “prevention is better than the cure” still stands true.  If we refuse to tackle the spread of easily preventable diseases, if we fail to take steps to curb climate change, if we allow nations to fall into civil war or anarchy, we will have to spend more in the long-term.  It is in our national interest to ensure that these issues are addressed to enable countries to prosper and establish themselves as peaceful trading partners of the UK.  Spending money to maintain stability in other countries helps to protect us at home.  It is for this reason that DFID plays its part in diplomatic and military decision-making.

The second argument is one that tends not to attract enough attention when politics is being discussed; it is a moral one.  In the world of budgets and balance sheets, it is all too easy to ignore that almost 25,000 children will die each and every day from an illness which can be easily prevented.  Every year, nearly 9 million children will die before their fifth birthday.  I believe it is our duty to see that this injustice is brought to an end.

People have said to me, “The UK has spent millions of pounds on international aid and nothing has changed.”  This is not true as demonstrated by the humanitarian responses we have had to the catastrophes such as the Haitian earthquake and the recent floods in Pakistan.  In Afghanistan, 6 million children now have access to an education which was previously denied to them and 85% of the population now have access to basic healthcare.  This is up from a mere 9% in 2002. We are making a difference.

Then people say that most aid is wasted.  In an effort to ensure that the British taxpayer gets value for money, the Government has implemented tougher scrutiny through a new and independent watchdog, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which will examine the effectiveness of all aid packages and programmes.  The UK Aid Transparency Guarantee will ensure that all British citizens will be able to see where their money is being spent and provide the reassurance that money is being spent well.

Finally, a huge “thank you” to the postmen and women who have carried cards and packages to our doors, despite the weather, and to all those people who will be working in the emergency services over the holiday season.  Happy Christmas!