Each September the political party machines roll into towns across the UK for their annual party conferences to discuss a wide range of policy issues and set agendas for the coming year. Although overseas development is often not a central item on the programme, this year more than ever there must be commitments from all parties to achieve more with British aid.
As outlined below, overseas aid is still regarded as an important investment of British money. Unfortunately it is not a view shared by some of the UK press, whose often vitriolic negativity towards aid could reverse the remarkable gains we have made to date if it is allowed to impact upon policy.
The success we have had in the fight against malaria offers one of the best examples of the effective use of aid. A decade ago, it was estimated that a child died of malaria every 30 seconds. But since 2000, global deaths have been reduced by more than 26% and in countries where access to malaria control interventions has improved most significantly, overall childhood deaths have fallen by approximately 20%. This signals real progress, but with malaria still causing the death of a child every minute, there is still much to do to bring an end to this preventable and curable illness.
There have been notable achievements for overseas aid in recent years by the UK government. The Labour Party while in government followed through on strong commitments. In 2012, the UK's total aid expenditure reached £8.6 billion, or 0.56% of national income. This represented a doubling of the aid to national income ratio since 1997 when it was 0.26% of national income. The Labour government also supported key innovative funding mechanisms like the Gavi Alliance, which have made great progress in the fight against infectious diseases.
The Coalition government can boast a continued and increased commitment. Earlier this year the government delivered on its promise to invest 0.7% of our national income in fighting poverty and disease. It is however important to remember that the 0.7% target was never meant to be an end in itself and it should instead drive sensible investment. Decisions about where and how the money is spent can mean the difference between life and death for millions of people.
This is where forums like party conferences are crucial in ensuring that British aid is spent wisely. Earlier this week, Justine Greening pledged the UK's continued support for The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This was to the tune of £1 billion, which is a huge investment, but it is money well spent.
Since 2002, the Global Fund has treated 4.2 million people living with HIV/Aids, prevented 1.7 million HIV-positive pregnant mothers from passing HIV to their babies, distributed bed nets to 310 million families to protect them from malaria and helped stop the spread of drug-resistant TB. It has saved millions of lives.
In the British government's own review of multilateral aid agencies, the Global Fund was rated among the best value-for-money organisations that exist. Ministers have promised that the UK's aid budget will be allocated with a focus on efficiency and results. By that measure, the Global Fund is one of the best possible ways to spend it.
The Labour party in opposition also has the opportunity to put together an innovative development manifesto ahead of the next general election to end extreme poverty and ensure that UK aid reaches the poorest and most vulnerable; a manifesto that specifically includes tangible targets to not only control malaria and other childhood killers, but that looks ahead and commits to their eventual elimination.
With less than two years left of the current electoral term we are at an interesting point in British politics where key policy decisions are beginning to be made. As the general election draws near, the need for the political parties to articulate their commitments in their manifestos becomes greater and the party conferences will take on further importance.
Alex Hulme is advocacy officer at Malaria Consortium
This content is produced and controlled by Malaria Consortium
