UK General Election
The UK General Election which took place on 6th May 2010 represented an important opportunity to ensure that the candidates from all political parties kept issues such as poverty and climate change high on the agenda. MADE in Europe, along with over two hundred humanitarian development NGOs and activists across the UK, signed up to the Vote Global Manifesto which served as the basis for the General Election campaign with regards to international development. This Manifesto set out the key political commitments where the new UK Government should play a leading role in order to tackle worldwide poverty focusing on action in five key areas:
- More and better aid and debt relief
- Tackling climate change
- Making the global economy work for the poor
- Good governance & addressing corruption
- Responding to conflict situations
The new Government on worldwide poverty and climate change
This Election has brought changes to the UK political scene, with the establishment of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government in power for the coming future. On the 11th May 2010, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Negotiations Agreement was reached and issues such as international aid and climate change were covered as follows:
- It was agreed that the target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on overseas aid will remain in place. However, even though the coalition agreement does not give an explicit timetable, both the Conservatives and Liberals were committed to reaching 0.7% of GNI by 2013, so it can be assumed that this timetable is unchanged.
- It was agreed to "implement a full programme of measures to fulfill joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy."
In his first statement as Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell MP set out a number of priorities:
- “My top priority will be to secure maximum value for money in aid through greater transparency, rigorous independent evaluation and an unremitting focus on results.”
- “Promoting wealth creation and development around the world is about so much more than just giving aid. We will harness the full range of British government policies – including trade, conflict resolution and environmental protection – to contribute to our progressive vision of a more prosperous, sustainable and secure world.”
What now?
The Election is now over and the new Government has shown an immediate public commitment to tackle global poverty and climate change. However, the real work starts now! We have to ensure that our representatives keep to the pledges they made about the fight against poverty as well as the risk of climate change and its impact on developing countries. It is, therefore, fundamental that we continue to call for these issues to stay on the agenda.
Get Involved
In November 2010 (date to be confirmed), there will be a mass lobby of Parliament through individual constituencies to review the progress made by MPs on poverty and climate change. For more information click here.
Read the VoteGlobal manifesto
Read our volunteer blogs on the General Election