Progressio celebrates milestone victory for International Development Bill

Progressio supporters are celebrating a new victory for international development. A private members bill promising that 0.7% of gross national income will be given in foreign aid passed its first vote in the House of Commons on Friday (12 September), with an overwhelming 164 MPs throwing their voices behind the International Development Bill.

"This is a significant step towards the International Development Bill becoming law," said Daniel Hale, Progressio’s Director of Public Engagement. "It sends a strong signal to developing countries that, in the UK, we are keeping our promises on aid and it will remind other rich countries that they too must meet their aid targets."

Enshrining the UK’s foreign aid commitment in law would ensure that funds are available to support projects that are changing and saving lives around the world. The law would commit the UK government to spending 7p out of every £10 on aid to help people around the world to overcome poverty.

This year alone, UK aid has helped more than 5 million children go to school and has provided more than 19.5 million people with clean water. UK aid also supports healthcare and food security programmes that put the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people first.

For example, Progressio’s ‘Hear Our Voice’ project with ZAPSO (Zimbabwe AIDS Prevention and Support Organisation) offered lifesaving tests to truck drivers at risk of HIV and AIDS. Steven Msamala, who coordinates a workplace wellness programme supported by the project explains the impact that foreign aid can make in people’s lives:

"One of our drivers who tested positive for HIV described it as the turning point in his life. The test result revealed that the recurrent episodes of ill health could have their roots in HIV infection.

"He was initiated on comprehensive antiretroviral therapy at a local hospital and within weeks he had gained weight, and his throat infection and fatigue had ceased completely. Had it not been for the workplace HIV testing and counselling, this man’s health would have continued to deteriorate.:

The UK met its aid target for the very first time in 2013 and we are now able to count ourselves among relatively few countries - Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands – in having achieved the target, which was set in the 1970s.

Whilst the bill has cross-party support – it was included in all three party manifestos in 2010 – campaigners are keen to keep the pressure up to see the Bill passed through parliament without problems. Progressio supporters, as well as supporters of 40 other organisations, personally urged their MPs to turn up at the vote and vote yes to the 0.7% commitment on Friday.

"The Bill will now enter a review stage before it comes back for a ‘Third Reading’, explains Progressio’s Activism Officer Jenny Vaughan. ‘In the run up to this next milestone, we’ll need all our supporters to once again contact their MPs to ask them to turn up and say yes to 0.7%."