Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future
Publisher/Organizer: DFID
Publication date: July 2009
Number of pages: 150
Language: English
Overview
The White Paper represents a fundamental shift in the way the UK delivers development aid, refocusing resources onto fragile countries and for the first time treating security and justice as a basic service alongside health, education, water and sanitation. Fifty per cent of new bilateral funding will be committed to fragile countries.
Key announcements in Building our Common Future include:
- A renewed commitment to 0.7 per cent of UK Gross National Income (GNI) for international development, meaning a contribution of £9bn per year by 2013;
- Measures to reduce maternal mortality rates and potentially save the lives of six million mothers and babies by 2015;
- Plans to support over eight million more children in Africa go to school;
- Doubling of funding to £1bn for African infrastructure including transport, energy and trade in the region;
- A tripling of funding to support developing countries to recover stolen assets, and new resources to Interpol, as part of a major effort to stamp out corruption;
- Increased investment in the Central Emergency Response Fund for humanitarian aid at the UN
On fragile countries: Helping to ensure that security and justice are treated as a basic service – alongside health, education, water and sanitation – in the developing world with funding tripled to £120 m by 2014; A focus on jobs in five of the most vulnerable countries - Yemen, Nepal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan – where 7.5 million people will benefit from jobs and economic opportunities.
On growth and trade: A quadrupling of funding to promote fair and ethical trade; A new International Growth Centre to offer world class economic expertise and practical advice to poor countries.
On climate change: Renewed commitment to £800m to support climate adaptation, low carbon growth and protection of forests; The piloting of new low carbon innovation centres and a global climate change knowledge network.