5 Questions That Could Help Assess Impact Of U.K. Aid, Keep Primary Goal Of Eradicating Poverty

The Guardian: Five questions we should be asking about the impact of U.K. aid
Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam GB

“…Five questions should help assess the impact of U.K. aid as the government finalizes and implements its aid strategy. The most fundamental is whether aid funding is meeting its core purpose. … So too does the question of whether a legitimate interest in issues of security and prosperity, as judged from an exclusively British perspective, have a disproportionate influence on how aid is spent. … No less worthy of scrutiny is the rapid and very substantial investment by DfID into economic development and stimulus of the private sector. Will this approach deliver for the poorest people? … Will increased scrutiny of the aid community begin with the government’s own aid funding, where there are currently a number of blind spots? … Finally, there is the question of how the government views the role of civil society in supporting the U.K.’s vision for aid and development. … There is much to be positive about in the recent aid reviews, and we will back them in that spirit. But there is a thin line between making aid and development more effective for the world of 2017 and beyond, and a dilution of the primary purpose of eradicating poverty. That’s what we must all keep an eye on” (12/8).

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