Lord Alton on aid budget cut: 'Don't turn the clock back'

David Alton

Responding to the announcement today that the UK government is cutting overseas aid from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent, Lord Alton writes: "UK Aid programmes: heart and head, generous altruism and self-interest, must go hand in hand. These are the "smart power" reasons for sustaining our development programmes. Yes, improve oversight and value for money but don't turn the clock back.

"In 1970 the United Nations passed Resolution 2626. It stated that "Each economically advanced country will progressively increase its official development assistance to the developing countries and will exert its best efforts to reach a minimum net amount of 0.7 percent of its gross national product … by the middle of the Decade." ... to read on click HERE.