Thank you for contacting me about international aid.
I am proud of the fact that British aid helps millions of people around the world, protecting them from disease, conflict and instability. This is firmly in the interests of the countries concerned and their people. I also believe it advances the interests of the British people making the world a more secure, safer and stable environment.
Global Britain is leading the world on international development: the first major developed country to meet the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid. We are committed to help developing countries address the challenges presented by climate change and benefit from the opportunities.
Eradicating poverty and addressing climate change are interlinked: we cannot address one without the other. At the same time, tackling climate change presents an opportunity to promote sustainable economic growth in many developing countries through new technologies, helping reduce poverty and create jobs, particularly for women. 21 million people have been supported by the UK International Climate Fund to cope with the effects of climate change. Support includes help to change what crops are grown, improved irrigation, preserving water catchments, strengthening defences against floods and storms, and ensuring that social protection mechanisms are in place to make sure that people are able to cope with and recover from shocks quickly. Many more people are indirectly benefiting from ICF projects – e.g. the wider community where an individual has been trained to develop an emergency plan.
We are providing an effective and enduring response to the international refugee crisis. The UK is the world’s second largest bilateral humanitarian donor. Theresa May continues to show this leadership, announcing almost $2 billion in humanitarian support in 2016, an increase of more than 10 per cent on the previous year. Refugees must live with dignity and self-sufficiency, as close as possible to their home countries, to deter them from making dangerous onward journeys, and to enable them eventually to return home and rebuild with host countries providing education and employment opportunities. The UK has pledged $39 million to the Education Cannot Wait fund which will provide quality education to 13 million children in conflict countries over the next five years. And we have joined the government of Ethiopia, the World Bank, the EIB, and the EU in announcing a new jobs compact, to which the UK is contributing $104 million. The most vulnerable refugees must be supported and, if necessary, resettled where their needs can best be met. The UK has committed to resettling 20,000 of the most vulnerable people, including children affected by the Syria crisis. Theresa May announced an initial $3.25million contribution to support new countries seeking to create resettlement programmes.
Finally, we are championing an open, modern and innovative approach to global poverty. We are promoting investment in the poorest countries, helping them to get on the road to industrialisation. We are driving progress on economic development and working with businesses to stimulate investment in the world’s most difficult, frontier markets, where jobs and economic opportunities are desperately needed. It is sustainable growth, trade and investment that will provide a sustainable route to poverty reduction. Defeating poverty is a joined-up effort across the whole of government including using the opportunity of leaving the EU to free up trade with the world’s poorest.
Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me.
