Campaign launched to commit UK to spending 0.7% of income on development aid

Brexit & Foreign Policy

The Global Poverty Promise campaign today asks people to support a new law that would commit the UK to spend 0.7% of national income on development assistance.

Davina McCall, Mariella Frostrup, Annie Lennox, Richard Wilson and Meera Syal were among the big names launching a new poverty campaign today, the fifth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s Make Poverty History speech in Trafalgar Square.


In a campaign video released today – shown for the first time at the Labour Campaign for International Development’s launch on Monday – people are invited to show their support for a new law that would commit the UK to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on development assistance.

People can do this by signing up to the Global Poverty Promise.

The video (see right) highlights just how small 0.7 per cent is – yet how much of a difference it will make to lives in the developing world.

Mariella Frostrup said:

  

“Forty years ago the UK made a promise to the world’s poor – to spend just 0.7 per cent of our national income on helping poor countries develop. We now have a chance to make that promise a reality, not just for today but for future generations.

“GlobalPovertyPromise.com is our opportunity to show that we keep our promises, even during difficult times. Whether it’s helping Haiti through a disaster or participating in the long term development of Africa the British public has a proud tradition of looking out for those less fortunate, let’s keep it up.”

Five years ago Nelson Mandela’s speech in London ahead of the Gleneagles summit launched the Make Poverty History campaign; today the Department for International Development is publishing an update of the progress the UK has made against the targets set.

Labour has tripled the UK’s aid budget and is committed to spending 0.7% of the UK’s Gross National Income on aid from 2013, with the Overseas Development Bill which was introduced to Parliament last month, while the Conservatives have refused to say they would introduce such a law.

Aid groups are concerned that Tory plans for international development could mean large sums will be diverted from tackling poverty.

• Sign up to the Gobal Poverty Promise and show your support.

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30 Responses to “Campaign launched to commit UK to spending 0.7% of income on development aid”

  1. Tim Worstall

    I think you’ll find that we already contribute 0.7%.

    It’s just that we don’t contribute 0.,7% through government….

  2. Anon E Mouse

    Tim – Good point – it’s probably more put that way….

  3. shaun

    so lets see 0.7 thats about the same monies as the total welfare bill costs the UK each year
    ohhh and what do the poor the unemployable and the sick get?
    just hate hate hate in the media and Govt telling them work or starve
    Funny old world
    helping the poor abroad but whipping the poor back home
    Its akin to taking a sandwhich from a begger in the street in Uk and psoting it to another begger abroad

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