Andrew Mitchell defends higher British spending on aid as a moral duty

Development secretary faces down rightwing criticism of overseas aid, saying it is good value for money Andrew Mitchell, the development secretary, has faced down rightwing criticism of higher government spending on aid by defending British help for the world’s poor as morally right and in the national interest. Mitchell used a speech in London to mark his first year in office to say that the coalition’s development strategy provided good value for money, was targeted at countries in most need and was the best way to “protect UK security and prosperity”. In a direct riposte to those in the media and on the Tory right who have attacked the government’s decision to spare the aid budget from George Osborne’s austerity programme, Mitchell said: “It is a stain on all our consciences that a girl born in South Sudan today is more likely to die having a baby than to complete primary school. “When we know what life – and death – is like for over a billion people living on less than 80p a day, and we have the wherewithal to do something about it, then, yes, I do believe we have a moral imperative to do so.” Mitchell said that since becoming development secretary he had completed reviews of Britain’s aid spending to ensure that the extra money from British taxpayers was being well spent. “They [the reviews] have allowed ministers to take a strategic, informed view about where to focus our efforts in order to achieve the greatest impact. And to recognise the relative success of many countries that are coming out of poverty themselves. “So, over the next four years UK bilateral aid will be concentrated on 27 rather than 43 countries, among the poorest countries in the world, where the need is greatest. And whether we channel funds through multilateral agencies, or indeed through NGOs or others, we will expect the same rigour in results, transparency and value from them as we do from ourselves.” Mitchell rejected criticism that the government’s aid strategy increased dependency in poor countries and was often going to fast-growing emerging countries, such as India, which did not need it. “We are withdrawing aid from those countries that have succeeded in pulling themselves out of poverty. And we will continue to take this approach, celebrating when countries make the transition to self-sufficiency and supporting them through this process. Aid is a means to an end not an end in itself.” David Cameron stressed at last month’s G8 summit in Deauville that Britain would meet its pledge to increase aid spending to 0.7% of national output by 2013, but Mitchell said that the budget would be focused on “the poorest and the most vulnerable. On women and girls, including those who, because of the conflict in which they live, lose out twice over.” Mitchell said he wanted to “galvanise the entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector in the poorest countries and be open about what the government was doing. “We’ve made it easy for people to understand what we’re doing – publishing clear, simple data that’s easy to understand. Not only can the British taxpayer see what we are doing, but so too can the people our aid programmes are intended to help. Whether it’s a British person sitting in Manchester or a Kenyan sitting in Kisumu, any individual can hold us to account – and tell us if they think we’re getting it wrong.” Development Aid Global economy Conservatives David Cameron Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 8, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.