AID MONEY SHOULD NOT BE DIVERTED

World Vision has voiced concerns over the Prime Minister’s suggestion that more UK government aid spending should be diverted to peace-keeping missions.

David Cameron said he was “very open” to ideas about spending more of the Department for International Development budget on “providing basic levels of stability and security in deeply broken and fragile states.”

The Prime Minister’s comments to journalists on his return from a trade visit to India were in the context of his pledge to protect all £10bn of Britain's aid budget, promising to spend 0.7% of national income on development.

Justin Byworth, the chief executive of World Vision UK responded: “The British government leads the way on good aid spending – and diverting more money to peacekeeping operations could put that in jeopardy.

 “The Prime Minister's correct that security and peace are essential, but long-term stability is about far more than peacekeeping. In reality, it’s a complex mix which includes nutrition, health, education, and protecting vulnerable children, which all help to prevent conflict and empower people to cope with challenging circumstances.

"I recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most fragile states in the word. Yet only a tiny fraction--four per cent--of the 5.4 million civilians who have perished during the long-running conflict have died as a direct result of violence. The vast majority have lost their lives through disease and malnutrition. It is the life-changing aid that DFID already provides that is most effective in saving lives in fragile contexts.

“Spending on peacekeeping from the aid pot is already limited by international standards. We’d be concerned if this statement means these standards are being challenged.”

The Prime Minister, who has been urged to cut aid spending by some Tories, said security and stability were often needed before development could take place.

He added: "I think we have to demonstrate that the DFID budget is spent wisely. It is obviously true that if we can help deliver security and help provide stability and help with stabilisation, that is the basis from which all development can proceed."