Legal commitment to spend 0.7% on aid moves one step closer

On Friday, the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7 percent of Gross National Income (GNI) on international development moved one step closer to being enshrined in law, after 166 MPs voted in favour of the bill during its second reading in the House of Commons.  The International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill will now move to the committee stage of the legislative process, where the details of the proposed law will be examined, debated and agreed.

“This represents another significant milestone for the UK,”  said Malaria Consortium Chief Executive Charles Nelson. “We lead the world in many areas of international development, including the fight against malaria and neglected tropical diseases, and it is heartening to see this reflected in the strength of political support for this bill. We hope that this cross-party support continues, and the UK’s commitment to tackling poverty, inequality and disease becomes a legally-binding commitment for future governments”. 

Keywords: Advocacy and policy

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