This petition was submitted during the 2017–2019 Conservative government
Petition Abolish the 0.7% GDP target for Foreign Aid
The Government currently spends 0.7% GDP on Foreign Aid. This means it will spend over £13bn of tax payers money on projects which could be better spent at home. By 2020 this figure will have risen to almost £16bn. We believe the Government should abolish the 0.7% GDP target for Foreign Aid.
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The Government should abolish the 0.7% GDP target for Foreign Aid and spend the money on increasing our Defence and Armed Forces.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 4 December 2017
Our aid commitment – which is enshrined in law - increases Britain’s global influence and allows us to shape the world around us which is firmly in the UK’s national interest.
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Investing less than one percent of our national income in aid is creating a safer, healthier and more prosperous world. it is firmly in the UK’s and humanity’s interests.
Global challenges like mass migration, disease, terrorism and war have no respect for national borders. If we stand back from this fight we are not only abandoning our moral responsibilities, we are allowing other countries’ problems to come closer to our shores. Eradicating deadly diseases like Ebola protects us here at home, the provision of education and economic opportunities around the world can stem migration. And we have a moral obligation to help nations rife with poverty and poor health.
Advancing economic development in the world’s poorest countries is a hallmark of a Global Britain. Investing in the growth of companies in Africa and South Asia creates the jobs and economic stability that lead to global security and help end aid dependency, as well as driving better value for money for UK taxpayers and rates of return on investment.
Life-changing progress comes from growth that transforms economies; that creates productive jobs and private sector investment; and that spreads benefits and opportunities right across society.
As we leave the EU we will build on our strong record as a champion of trade and development.
We are securing existing duty-free access to UK markets for the world’s poorest and providing new opportunities to increase trade links and grow economies to help end poverty, while supporting jobs and businesses in the UK too. We are also working with a broader range of partners, including smaller charities in the UK, to get the best of British expertise.
We are harnessing the energy of the UK science and technology sectors, using cutting-edge technology to transform the way we do development and new vaccines to wipe out disease. We are leaving no-one behind, including by putting disability at the heart of our agenda.
The UK is using its leadership to challenge other nations to deliver on their commitments.
DFID is committed to spending every single penny of its aid budget wisely and without waste.
We have introduced tough new reforms of its aid spending to deliver value for money, including clamping down on the risk of unethical practices by suppliers, holding aid organisations to account by tying funding to performance, closing programmes which fail to meet development objectives, and increasing efficiency savings.
The UK has also secured important progress at the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) meetings in Paris to change the international aid rules and ensure they remain relevant for the modern world.
We will continue to use our leadership to challenge other nations to deliver on their commitments.
Department for International Development