UK NGO sector sets out vision for aid and international development in Bond’s 2019 manifesto

Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development has launched its 2019 manifesto: Building a just and sustainable world: our vision for international development which urges all party leaders to commit to policies that ensure that future generations live in a world free from poverty, inequality and environmental degradation.

The manifesto was drafted in collaboration with Bond’s members and calls on the next government to commit to making the UK a proud global leader in international development, by creating a sustainable world where everyone has an equal opportunity to live a healthy, safe and prosperous life.

By 2020, UK aid will have helped vaccinate 76 million children, saving 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases. The UK has helped 57 million people cope with the effects of climate change over the last eight years, and 32 million people have been supported with humanitarian assistance in the face of conflict and disasters, including 10 million women and girls.

Claire Godfrey, Bond’s Interim Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research said:

“This general election is very much about the kind of Britain we want post-Brexit, so it is good to see that leaders from across the political spectrum understand the value and importance of the UK’s leading role in international development. We have a global reputation we should be proud of, and this is a reputation that we are now asking party leaders to champion.

Despite UK aid pledging to first and foremost help people facing poverty, and to promote sustainable development, we are increasingly seeing aid being used to serve short-term domestic interests. If this continues, we risk seeing more aid diverted away from people in desperate need, and the UK’s global influence on humanitarian efforts and development diminish.

It is important for leaders to understand that good quality aid and development policy serves people’s interests beyond our borders – particularly for those striving to escape poverty, insecurity and the trap of extreme economic inequality – and in doing so also serves our national interests by creating a healthier, safer and more sustainable world for us all.

We are calling on all political parties to rise to the ambition of the global commitments the UK has signed up to on poverty eradication, reducing inequality, and tackling the climate and environment emergency as we enter the ‘decade of delivery’ to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”

The key priorities in Bond’s manifesto include:

1. Strengthening the UK’s voice and influence on international development by targeting poverty and inequality.
2. Working to make global economic, financial and other rules work for the public interest in all countries.
3. Tackling the climate and environmental degradation crisis with a coherent, consistent, cross-government approach.
4. Be at the forefront of promoting peacebuilding and humanitarian principles in response to conflict and global crises.
5. Strengthening democratic and public accountability at all levels of international development.

ENDS

1. Building a just and sustainable world: Our vision for international development was drafted in collaboration with Bond’s members and working groups.
2. Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 400 civil society organisations and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
3. For further information or interviews please contact Maryam Mohsin, [email protected] or 07555 336029