Reacting to yesterday’s appointment of Alok Sharma as the UK’s new cabinet minister for international development, Sara Pantuliano, acting executive director of the London-based think tank the Overseas Development Institute, said:
‘Congratulations to the new Secretary of State Alok Sharma. We welcome that DFID will continue to be independent and retain its seat at the cabinet table.
But we also urge the foreign office to fully commit its diplomatic influence and knowledge to supporting the UK’s aid and international development work.
We urge the whole UK government to continue providing global leadership on dealing with the problems of climate change in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities.
The UN talks of ending extreme poverty by 2030 but analysis by the Overseas Development Institute shows that at least 400 million people will still be in that state unless more is done to accelerate progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and focus UK aid on the poorest people.
We hope that Mr. Sharma can persuade the new prime minister to include this ambition in his forthcoming spending review.’
Notes to editors
- Earlier this year the Overseas Development Institute published the Principled Aid Index
- We also published a paper on the different priorities for foreign policy and humanitarian aid
- And here is our report on 400 million still in extreme poverty in 2030
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Miles Barter on [email protected] or +44 (0)7808 791265
ENDS