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Aid reviews demonstrate UK’s continuing leadership in international development

7 December 2016
Aid reviews demonstrate UK’s continuing leadership in international development

Malaria Consortium welcomes the newly published Bilateral and Multilateral Development Reviews from the Department for International Development (DFID), which recognise the incredible impact UK aid has made around the world.

The Secretary of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, highlighted the value of UK aid in her foreword to the Bilateral Development Review, which outlined the UK’s focus on ensuring UK aid benefits the poorest and most marginalised. She reiterated the UK’s commitment to achieving the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and supporting the Leave No One Behind agenda.

The Secretary of State added that the UK government would continue to ensure effectiveness throughout the development system, championing transparency and accountability.

“I believe there is more we can do to apply rationality and evidence to our choices of intervention, in order to do the most possible good for the largest number of people. We should not just ask: is this doing some good? But – is this the very best intervention we can make?”

The UK is respected as one of the world’s leading development partners and since 2001, malaria deaths have fallen by 60 percent globally, due, in part, to its leadership.

In the Multilateral Development Review, the Global Fund to Fight AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria received high praise, and was recognised for preventing a death every three minutes from HIV, TB or malaria and protecting an additional 76 million children in the world's poorest countries against life threatening, but preventable, diseases. This praise is reflected in the decision to increase UK funding for the Global Fund from £800 million to £1.1 billion for 2017 – 2019.

An important factor, supported by both reviews to ensure that UK aid ‘Leaves No-one Behind’, is the need for the UK’s historic commitment to global health to be maintained. The burden of disease and ill health often falls hardest on the most vulnerable in society, restricting the opportunities of the poorest families to share in any rising prosperity.

“The reviews are clear that investments in global health, and particularly the prevention and treatment of diseases such as malaria and neglected tropical diseases, represent one of the highest returns on investment available,” Charles Nelson, Malaria Consortium Chief Executive said. “Combating these devastating diseases not only saves lives and alleviates suffering for millions of the most vulnerable around the world, but it also releases national resources for investment elsewhere, strengthens health systems, economies and societies, frees families to spend more time and energy in employment and on enterprise, and contributes to global health security.”

Malaria Consortium looks forward to working with DFID to continue the fight against infectious diseases and maternal and childhood illnesses.

 

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