Let 2010 be a year of hope

Aug 17th, 2010 6:38 PM UTC
By Dr John Sentamu

When I was growing up in Uganda, the UK always had a reputation as a world leader. Partly that was because Britain manufactured goods that made their way around the globe – having goods made in Britain was a guarantee of good quality and a mark of something that would last.

However, the UK was also a world leader because of its sense of fair play and justice, shown to citizens wherever they lived in the world. That sense of fair play and justice is still alive and well in Britain today, and the people of Africa need your support more than ever. We need to show that these values in our society are also ones which will stand the test of time.

It is ten years since the historic Millennium Development Goals were agreed and we have five years until they are due to be delivered. It is vital at this time that the world does not weaken its commitment to tackle global poverty. The action the UK Government has taken, with support from across the political parties, is already having a huge positive impact.

During a time of global recession, when looking at where cuts may have to be made to spending, it is often those outside our country that are the first to lose out. There is a natural desire to look after our families first, but I would say to you that those suffering from poverty and hunger and dying of preventable diseases in Africa today are our brothers and sisters too. The fundraising we have seen in Britain in response to natural disasters in Haiti and Chile shows that we still have a passion and desire for compassion abroad.

However, it shouldn’t take a natural disaster for us to show compassion for those in need. Injustice, suffering and premature deaths are issues we should tackle no matter where they occur in the world.

Let 2010 be a year of hope. Let 2010 be a year of delivery. Let 2010 be a year of justice.

In the run up to the UK General Election in May 2010, we invited ONE members to submit their thoughts on what they would like the UK Government to prioritise on development in the next 5 years. Dr Sentamu kindly contributed the above forword to the resulting Thought Book illustrated by Paul Davis.

TAGS: Millennium Development Goals, UK