The UK is a world leader in providing assistance to people in developing countries. The legal obligation contained in the Draft Bill would match the commitment the UK made at the G8 in Gleneagles in 2005 to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2013. This would offer further encouragement to other donor countries to achieve this target.
Spending on ODA through the Department for International Development has increased from 0.27 per cent of GNI in 1997 to 0.43 per cent in 2008. This means the Government is on target to meet the Gleneagles commitment.
The purpose of the Draft Bill is to:
- The Draft Bill would ensure that the Government spends 0.7 per cent of GNI on ODA from 2013.
The main benefits of the Draft Bill are:
- This Draft Bill puts beyond doubt the UK’s determination to deliver on our long-held international development commitments particularly at this time of global economic downturn.
- It would ensure Britain contributes to increased global aid levels necessary to meet the Millennium Development goals.
- It would ensure the predictability of aid flows for developing countries.
The main elements of the Draft Bill are:
- A requirement to ensure that 0.7 per cent of GNI is spent on ODA from 2013.
- There would be a requirement to report progress to Parliament annually, drawing on the reporting and transparency commitments in the 2006 International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Act. The new Draft Bill would both complement and be consistent with the 2006 Act.
- Although there is no precedent for this type of legislation, the Government already makes firm commitments on future expenditure. Examples of this include payments to the Devolved Powers, to the EU, and to international organizations such as the World Bank and the UN.
