Today the Queen delivered her speech to Parliament setting out the Government’s agenda for the coming session. The Queen repeated the Government’s pledge to give 0.7% of annual national income in international aid from next year. However the Government’s commitment – included in the Coalition Agreement – to introduce legislation to invest this amount in aid annually was not included in the speech.
Reacting to the speech Adrian Lovett, Europe Executive Director of ONE, said:
“We welcome the repeated commitment to give 0.7% of national income in aid from next year. Meeting Britain’s aid promise will put 15.9 million children in school and help over 9 million people overcome malnutrition in the next four years.
“However, it’s a missed opportunity that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats chose not to prioritise the international aid bill in the Queen’s Speech. We urge them not to break their Coalition commitment to enshrine our aid promise in law. This is a short bill which is supported by all three major political parties. It can be passed quickly and should not detract from other parliamentary business.
“By legislating, the Government will ensure this life-saving aid is secured and will increase the pressure on other countries to do more. David Cameron and Nick Clegg should ensure this legislation is in place before welcoming world leaders for the G8 summit in the UK next year.”
Notes to editors
ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organisation backed by 3 million people from around the world dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. For more information please visit www.ONE.org
ONE’s Small Change: Big Difference report shows the impact UK aid spending will have on the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. http://one.org/c/international/actnow/4222/
For further information or to arrange an interview please contact Katherine Sladden 07584 470 644 / katherine.sladden@one.org
