International
The British Government keeps its promises to the world’s poor
Good news but there’s more to do
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| ONE volunteer Jennifer and staffer Tamar at the door of 10 Downing Street with the petition. |
These are stormy times in Westminster – but the commitment to help those who most need it remains. And as the UK general election next year approaches it is more important than ever that our politicians understand they are being watched, and need to keep their promises.
Last week we asked ONE supporters to sign up to our petition to “prioritise legislation that makes the UK’s commitment of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) as development assistance by 2013 legally binding”.
Today ONE supporters Tamar, Jennifer and I delivered our petition to a friendly policeman who opened the black door of Gordon Brown’s house at 10 Downing Street. He promised to pass it on to the Prime Minister “at once”, which was nice of him.
Then the Queen, in her speech to open the new parliamentary session, announced, “draft legislation” to do exactly what we asked. So we won!
It’s a technical thing to ask for, but aid to developing countries is more useful if those receiving it know it is coming and can plan accordingly. It’s also a brave thing for the British Government to announce when the country is still in the grips of recession.
The UK first promised to spend 0.7% GNI on aid nearly 40 years ago. But it hasn’t ever happened. Now all the main political parties have committed to do it by 2013. Gordon Brown announced in September he would propose legislation on this, but it wasn’t a certainty that this promise would make it into the Queen’s Speech.
We didn’t get everything that we wanted however; the Queen announced “draft legislation”, meaning it is very unlikely to become law before the general election, while we want this to happen as soon as possible. But with the help of ONE supporters, and everyone else who cares about Africa and development, we’ll keep the pressure on the Government. There’s a lot of work to do to make aid better but every step in the right direction is a step worth noting. Thanks to everyone who signed the petition.
As Bono said today “the proposal to make the 0.7% pledge legally binding is not just a great announcement, it is transformative of real lives, by a government that has led the world in keeping its promises to the world’s poorest people. The next step is making sure this becomes law as soon as possible, in 2010”.
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
18/11/2009 at 4:41 pm
I felt very proud to be British today, to knock on the door of Number 10, to know that our leaders care about the injustice of extreme poverty, and to know that our voices have been heard! We didn’t quite kick down the door today (the policeman was very polite in telling us that we shouldnt even try!), but pushed forward to move some mountains, and I have no doubt that ONE, and all of you who signed this petition, are going to play an integral part in keeping our decision makers on their toes in the months and years ahead. Thanks for inviting me to be involved ONE.
18/11/2009 at 5:58 pm
It warms my heart to hear something so positive. There is I think so much to be gloomy and sad about. Tthis helps me to continue to have faith in people as a whole. Well done everybody were great as a whole are we not !!!! Action through groups is the only way with something so big that needs change thanks to Jennifer and tamar for delivering
Caroline
19/11/2009 at 1:37 am
The Government already announced weeks ago that it was going to put this in the Queen’s Speech – why are you lying to your supporters and pretending that it’s something you asked for three days ago and has suddenly been achieved? It cheapens email activism and makes people think that things happen in two minutes when in reality these things require ongoing online and offline organising over many months. Disappointing.
19/11/2009 at 10:38 am
Hi Dorothy,
I agree with you that campaigning is about organising online and offline. This is what we do at ONE and our public petitions are part of broader, long-term strategies. I wasn’t suggesting that our petition had suddenly tipped the balance. As I wrote in the blog “Gordon Brown announced in September he would propose legislation on this, but it wasn’t a certainty that this promise would make it into the Queen’s Speech”.
I don’t know exactly how the Prime Minister decided what to put into the 7 minute Queen’s Speech but ONE supporters, along with others, were showing the Government we are watching. A lot of other important issues weren’t mentioned in the speech and our worry was this promise would slip off the political agenda as it has done in the past (we first promised to reach 0.7% in 1970).This isn’t the end of the process. It’s a small success to have the government introduce draft legislation. But there is a long way still to go to ensure it actually becomes law, and it gives us opportunities to talk to politicians about aid and our support to developing countries. You can be sure that we’ll continue working on this and the more help we have the better.
19/11/2009 at 1:57 pm
Hi Jen, keep up the good work, glad to see you helping ONE out, i’m still doing it from my end along with a hundred other things. Promises are promises and ahould not be broken!
19/11/2009 at 5:25 pm
I would like to see UK aid being spent on digging water wells in the Third World. They provide enough water for 50,000 people (figure contested), quadruple food production, bring birth rates down to Western levels within three months, and the green circles of land they create can be seen from space.
19/11/2009 at 9:05 pm
Congratulations to all those who have compaigned so hard to get this far and succeeded.
BUT the work is still to begin and pressure must be kept that they deliver on their promise.
This world is still worth living for when you hear these things.
WELL DONE to you all
21/11/2009 at 2:59 am
Congratulations to One for this initiative and to all who signed the petition.
This is a transformative, informative announcement. Let’s hope other governments of the developed world follow Britain’s lead soon
Belinda Collins
Co author
Warrior Princess
05/01/2010 at 7:35 pm
Naturally, having a vested interest in this matter – after all I did get the chance to knock on the door of Number 10 when delivering ONE’s petition – I have just attended ‘Cameron Direct’ in Hammersmith, London and quizzed Conservative leader, David Cameron, as to whether he will be intending on formalising this legislation when (presuming) he takes office as Prime Minister this year. Mr Cameron offered a very formal, articulate and impressive answer relating to his commitment to the development sector and 0.7% of GNI by 2013, assuring me that his proposed ‘haircut’ of services will not affect two matters – the development sector and the NHS.
While Mr Cameron stated that ‘You don’t need a law’ he also noted the significant success of Comic Relief’s fundraising efforts in March 2009 and highlighted the value that the British public place on ending extreme poverty, assuring me that he would not deviate from the efforts that PM Gordon Brown has made.
Still, ONE, presuming Mr Cameron reaches Number 10 in the next 5 months, can we please do another petition, and can I please assist you in delivering it to him….. only if we act as ONE can we encourage the Conservatives to follow through with this ‘commitment’ and not allowing this to fall from the political agenda.
21/01/2010 at 4:31 am
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09/03/2010 at 3:55 am
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