Preet Gill MP: A Labour DFID would put equality at the heart of its mission
Throughout Labour Party Conference, Save the Children has asked Shadow Ministers to set out how their agenda would improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children. Today, Preet Gill MP makes the case for Labour International Development policy. Look out for Save the Children's work with Conservative Friends of International Development at Conservative Conference.
As we seek to determine the UK’s position in the world outside of the EU, we should work to ensure the UK is a progressive and outward-looking global leader on international development. More than this, we must focus our development efforts on tackling not just poverty but also inequality if are to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and continue to make our planet more safe, more just and more sustainable.
Inequality kills, and we have the tools to do something about it. Preventable diseases like pneumonia kill the poor far more than the rich. 99% of child deaths from pneumonia occur in developing countries, and in those countries, it’s the poorest children who are most likely to catch it, and the poorest children who are most likely to die from it. But more than that, by tackling inequality and creating more equal societies, we can build a world for those children where not only are they safe from pneumonia but one that is fairer, more harmonious and enables more sustainable economies.
A Labour Department for International Development would make reducing inequality a joint objective alongside eradicating poverty for all overseas aid spending.
There are still unacceptable numbers of people living in poverty across the world without access to basic needs such as healthcare. This means people are still suffering and dying from preventable and treatable diseases such as pneumonia. That is why a Labour Government would build a global movement for gender responsive Universal Health Coverage. Strong health systems that are free to use and open to all, like our NHS, are the key to reducing the health gap between rich and poor, and to reducing dependency on aid.
We will do this by working with governments in the Global South to build and expand their own free universal public health systems. Labour will clamp down on practices such as tax avoidance by multinational companies to ensure that countries can mobilise domestic resources to fund healthcare in the longer-term.
The Sustainable Development Goals recognise the universality of development. We cannot afford to ignore them and go back on the central tenant that no one should be left behind. To do this, we must not only maintain an aid budget of 0.7% of GNI but also be clear and transparent in how this money is being spent and what impact it is having. The UK should be a leader in the international pursuit of global social justice and Labour’s A World for the Many not the Few sets out how we would do it.
The next Labour Government’s development policy would be based on solidarity with people across the world who are fighting the root causes of poverty and injustice. We will work with individuals, civil-society and governments to maximise our impact through collective action. Labour will be out in front, championing the principle that together, we can be more than the sum of our parts in tackling poverty and inequality and building a more equal world for everyone.
