CAFOD Post Election Statement
We welcome the new coalition government and wish it a productive first term in office. We hope it can work constructively with all parties in implementing policies that show we care as a nation about people in the poorest communities overseas.
The cross-party consensus on new legislation for 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) to be ring-fenced for international development by 2013, is a fantastic step and we urge the new government to make this a reality as soon as possible. We also look forward to seeing how the new government will ensure systems of delivery of aid improve transparency, accountability and inclusivity. This will also help the UK public to understand the role of aid in making progress towards a fairer world.
Any UK development policies must ensure that the global economy works towards the goal of the common good. Cross-party support for the new Bribery Act and Debt Relief Act, passed in the pre-election wash-up, is a solid stride towards power with responsibility. We look forward to seeing the new government implement these Acts swiftly and with the poorest at the heart of their thinking.
Climate change cannot be decoupled from the international development agenda; its impacts are being felt now by the poorest nations. Yet, the subordination of climate change to economic issues during this election campaign has been completely out of proportion to the crisis the world is now facing. All parties signed up to the progressive and robust Climate Change Act in 2008, but now that legislation which deals with domestic action, must be replicated on the world stage at the UN.
CAFOD calls upon the new government to acknowledge its responsibility, not just to UK society, but global society. This government must distinguish itself by ensuring that its international development policies work towards a common good in which people of all nations can live in an environment that encourages human flourishing.
Chris Bain, Director of CAFOD
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