Our Coalition Government is determined to help reduce the inequalities of opportunity we see around the world today. We believe that promoting global prosperity is both a moral duty and in our national interest.
Whether you are talking about drug-resistant disease, combating climate change, economic stability, migration or conflict, development represents tremendous value for money. In short, it is good for our economy, our safety, our health and our future. That is why we have delivered on our commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income in aid from 2013 – and promise to enshrine it in law.
In the current financial climate, we have a particular duty to show that we are achieving value for every pound of taxpayers’ money that we spend on development. Results, transparency and accountability will be our watchwords and will guide everything we do. Aid is only ever a means to an end, never an end in itself. It is wealth creation and sustainable growth that will help people to lift themselves out of poverty. We welcome and encourage the creativity that the private sector can offer, and will work with business to open new markets, extend access to financial services, stimulate new technology and create new jobs.
We want to see girls and women, who so often hold the key to development, becoming empowered members of their communities. We will work to strengthen women’s voice and engagement in decision making. We will strengthen health systems and family planning facilities so that women can plan their families and receive treatment before, during and after childbirth. We have committed to reducing the burden of malaria in the developing world and will play our full part in ensuring that the world’s poor have access to education, healthcare, water and sanitation and other basic services. Our funding through multilateral bodies, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, will enable us to extend the scope and reach of our aid but will be based on the effectiveness of what they do, value for money and the results they achieve.
We will concentrate our efforts on supporting achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, creating wealth in poor countries, strengthening their governance and security and tackling climate change. The prize, in doing so, is huge: a better life for millions of people, and a safer, more prosperous world for Britain.
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