ActionAid disappointed at government delay on aid legislation
01 Feb 2012 00:00
ActionAid is disappointed that the government has decided to delay a law which would require the UK to spend at least 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on development aid from 2013 onwards.
The Department for International Development's business plan requires legislation to enshrine this commitment in law to be in place by April 2012 and a short draft bill already exists that would require little parliamentary time. However the Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell said today the plan to enshrine it into law had been postponed.
Richard Miller, ActionAid's Executive Director, said: "We are disappointed that the government has backed down on their commitment to legislate in this parliament, which would have fulfilled a 40-year promise to the world's poorest people.
"It is right that the government has protected the aid budget so far but we need certainty that this will continue even in difficult economic times. Legislation would give us this certainty and would also send a clear signal to the world about the UK's leadership on tackling global poverty.
"Aid has worked and continues to work to bring millions of people out of poverty. A more equitable world free from poverty is better for everyone."
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