Echoing UNA-UK’s calls for UK leadership on the world stage, the UK is now the first G7 country to enshrine in law the UN-agreed target of spending 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on overseas aid. The UK met the target for the first time in 2014.
The third and final reading of the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill took place in the House of Lords on Monday 9 March, following months of debates in both houses. The Bill has already been passed by MPs and is expected to receive Royal Assent in the coming days.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Purvis, who took the bill through the Lords, said it would provide people in developing and conflict-affected countries with the “simple things [we] take for granted” such as clean water, sanitation and education.
Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening said that she was “proud” of Parliament’s achievement, adding that the new legislation “cements Britain’s global leadership in creating a world that is healthier, more stable and increasingly prosperous.”
Despite having been agreed by the UN General Assembly 45 years ago, and since affirmed in many international agreements, in 2013 the 0.7 per cent spending target was only met or exceeded by five other countries: Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates. However, only the UK has enshrined the lower threshold into domestic law.
Having consistently called for UK leadership in building a safer, fairer and more sustainable world, UNA-UK commends the UK Government for showing a commitment to international development that sets an example to the rest of the world. The Bill represents cross-party recognition that investing in solutions to global problems is in our national interest.
Click here to take part in our action highlighting the importance of UK aid contributions.
This renewed commitment to overseas development provides an encouraging platform for the UK to take a leading role in shaping the UN's proposed "sustainable development goals", due to be agreed later this year as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals. UNA-UK’s foreign policy manifesto is calling on the UK to ensure that the new development agenda is ambitious and properly resourced.
Click here to read UNA-UK's proposals for a progressive development agenda.
Photo: 9 March, London. Michael Moore MP met with supporters outside the Houses of Parliament to celebrate that the International Development Bill had passed its third reading in the House of Lords. Photo by James Gourley/Liberal Democrats
