MRDF responds to 'aid for defence' proposals

Responding to David Cameron’s comments about potentially using overseas aid funding for certain defence expenditure, Simeon Mitchell, MRDF’s Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Campaigning, said:

“Security and stability are obviously important in enabling successful development work. However, using aid money to compensate for the UK’s defence cuts cheats the world’s poorest people. It’s also not what the public expect development assistance to be spent on. Britain is close to fulfilling its longstanding pledge to give 0.7% of national income to support international development, and it’s vital people can have confidence that this money will go to where it will have most impact on poverty.

The best ways to combat insecurity and encourage peace in the long term are to invest in education, income generation and agricultural development programmes and good basic healthcare, and to tackle the injustices which create and perpetuate poverty and marginalisation.”

21.2.2013