Lord Cameron: 'We must work together as partners' Photo: James Manning/PA
Britain's approach to foreign aid must 'adapt' “to new realities,” Lord Cameron said on Monday, endorsing the plan, backed by the reversal of his key 0.7% rate pledge.
In the foreword to the government's new international development strategy, the former prime minister will say this approach should benefit the British people as well as the world.
The contribution represents one of his first significant political declarations since his surprise surprise. return to government when he was appointed foreign secretary last Monday.
He took his seat in the House of Lords after a formal presentation ceremony on Monday and will be known as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton.
He took his seat in the House of Lords after a formal presentation ceremony on Monday.
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As part of his modernization project, as leader of the Conservative Party, Lord Cameron made spending 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid a major pledge written into law.
But Rishi Sunak shelved that target as chancellor, instead promising to spend 0.5 percent on foreign aid and only return to 0.7 percent when the national debt began to fall.
He was also accused of emptying the foreign aid budget, using part of the money for payments to pay bills for living Ukrainian refugees in the UK.
Monday's white paper was drafted by Andrew Mitchell, the foreign secretary who champions development aid spending. It contains endorsements from leading figures in the aid debate, including Bill Gates, the founder and philanthropist of Microsoft, and Dr Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As part of the release of the strategy, the government announced up to £100 million will be provided focuses on food security crises and their impact on hotspots of hunger and malnutrition in the world.
At the heart of the document is the decision to spend 0.5 percent of GDP on foreign aid rather than 0.7 percent, although the strategy focuses on approach rather than budgetary issues.
In a foreword by Lord Cameron, published by The Telegraph, he praises the “sustainable development goals” set at the UN summit in 2015, when he was prime minister.
He says: “This destination remains the same. But our approach must adapt to new realities. The white paper describes how we do this. Today's answer cannot be that rich countries “do development” for others.
“We need to work together as partners, shaping ideas that developing countries own and implement. Development cannot be a closed shop in which we try to help other countries and communities without taking into account their vision for the future.
“Development has the power to save and improve lives. This is part of the moral mission. And in a world of illegal migration, climate change, instability and conflict, it is also important for our own security and prosperity.
“We are global. We are interconnected. We need to develop wisely for the benefit of the British people and the world.”
“A healthier, safer and more prosperous world”
The release of the white paper was timed to coincide with World Food Security. The summit is taking place in London.
Mr Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, said: “Many children go to bed hungry and undernourished. At this summit, the UK and its partners will be united in our determination to change this situation. Cutting-edge science and innovative partnerships will help the UK create a healthier, safer and more prosperous world for us all.”
Bond, a UK network of organizations working in the sector, criticized the lack of 0.7% The plans say that ” The visible ambitions of the White Paper require adequate resources and will not be realized without quickly returning the UK aid budget to the legally mandated level of 0.7 percent of national income.”
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