Maintain crucial funding to the United Nations, WaterAid urges
As Prime Minister Theresa May meets US President Donald Trump, WaterAid urges her to press the issue of maintaining crucial US funding to United Nations agencies to help promote global security and prosperity.
As countries with strong global influence, the United States and United Kingdom should continue to show leadership and fully support multilateral organisations focusing on poverty reduction and sustainable development in an efficient and transparent way.
Whilst all country leaders have a duty to ensure that all government spending represents good value for money for taxpayers, reducing UN funding could have profound consequences and jeopardise the successful delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, including universal access to water and sanitation.
In her address to the Republican ‘Congress of Tomorrow’ in Philadelphia on 26 January, PM May cited the United Nations as an institution upon which the world relies, and said both the US and the UK should be proud of their historic roles in bringing it into being, thereby delivering peace and prosperity to billions of people.
WaterAid Chief Executive Barbara Frost said:
“It is important to remember that there has been tremendous progress in recent times: more than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1990 alone, in no small part because of support from global leaders like the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Multilateral organisations such as the United Nations improve the lives of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, through work in water, sanitation and hygiene; education, health, gender rights and the alleviation of poverty. These efforts save lives, and improve productivity and economic growth.
“Both the United Kingdom and the United States can be very proud of their historic support given to the UN and its agencies. Today, more than ever, we share a moral duty to ensure the poorest are not forgotten.”
WaterAid will continue to work closely with governments, international agencies and institutions, such as the UN and other development partners to ensure development aid and cooperation is as effective as possible in the years ahead.
WaterAid will continue to focus on our vision of everyone everywhere gaining access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030, and on our work with the world’s poorest towards better lives and an end to poverty.
