We can’t turn away from UK’s history of being an ambitious development superpower

Lynda Chalker, The Independent

More than 30 years of my life have been spent working with the political leaders, governments and citizens of developing countries.

As minister for overseas development, when the development and foreign affairs portfolios were merged, my department was often referred to as the “bleeding-hearts division of the Foreign Office”. The government’s current approach to development now risks being seen to lack both heart and head.

Effective aid is not about sentiment or posturing, but about impact. I’ve always championed a common-sense, pragmatic approach to Britain playing its role in the world — something that is needed now more than ever.

For the first time this century, global poverty is on the rise. Covid-19 will push between 88 and 115 million more people into extreme poverty this year alone, according to The World Bank.  And it is at this critical moment that our government has decided to balance the books, on the backs of the people struggling most to deal with the pandemic. The decision to cut aid from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) is one that should be reversed at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, to limit the impact on people living on less than $1.90 (£1.41) a day, ministerial decisions on how to spend aid should be guided by some key principles.

First, we should build on, rather than sideline, the rich expertise within the former Department for International Development. We have a strong track record of leadership on global health. This country created the concept of universal health coverage when establishing the NHS, and has honed it since to deliver some of the best healthcare in the world.

Whether you live in Mansfield or Mombasa that is what we all want for our families when we are sick. That is why it is crucial we apply the best of our scientific innovation and know-how to deliver vaccination programmes, tackle antimicrobial resistance, and lead the charge to eradicate infectious diseases like malaria and Ebola.

Second, we should focus on the poorest countries. There has been much talk of aligning our aid to Britain’s economic and strategic interests, but foreign aid should retain a laser-like focus on poverty reduction. This is not to denigrate economic development and trade programmes, but our aid goes furthest when providing essential services. Covid-19 has hit tax and tourism revenues and remittances.

Where developing countries also face a debt crisis, these services, especially for women, children and the most vulnerable groups, are where scarce resources make the most difference. After all, good health is the foundation of resilient communities, who in turn drive economic growth and greater stability in countries we plan to trade with.  Finally, we should focus on effective investment in areas that create multiplier effects. One such “best buy” is providing clean water, hygiene and sanitation services. Estimates a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN’s children’s charity (Unicef) released this week show that investing just over 20p per person per year in the poorest nations would ensure that all hospitals and clinics in the world’s least developed countries could have basic water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and cleaning services.

That’s a total additional investment of around £2.7bn spread over the next decade. This is not just the right thing to do to save lives now, it’s a worthwhile investment in preparing us all to beat the next pandemic.

Improving access to clean water and hygiene in healthcare facilities could save a million pregnant mothers and new-born babies dying from preventable diseases. It would also play a significant role in halting the global surge of superbugs. AMR is a hugely costly and extremely challenging problem to solve, and, like Covid-19, crosses borders placing us all at risk. This win-win investment in a global public good can also generate savings in health expenditure up to 15 times the cost, and ultimately allow health workers and patients to focus on giving and receiving quality care.

In the year ahead, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has an opportunity to act on these principles when the UK hosts the G7 and the COP26 climate crisis talks in Glasgow.  

These are the moments to continue our country’s history of being an ambitious development superpower, not to turn away from it. This starts with playing up to our strengths, and investing judiciously in the fundamentals of life.