The manifesto
View the Vote Global Manifesto (pdf)
Key principles of international development
More and better aid and debt relief
Tackling climate change
Making the global economy work for the poor
Good governance and addressing corruption
Responding to conflict situations
Key principles of international development
All political parties must commit to ensuring the UK does all it can to bring about a world in which poverty is eradicated, people’s basic needs are met and their rights are realised.
As one of the richest countries in the world playing a powerful role in international bodies, the UK has a particular responsibility to promote justice and equality globally.
All political parties should commit to the following principles of international development:
1. Recognise that we live in an interdependent world: international development is a global effort and is a responsibility of all countries.
2. Promote and support a strong voice on development within government through an independent Department for International Development represented by a Secretary of State.
3. Promote human rights by:
* Realising the fundamental rights of all people to food, decent work, incomes, health, shelter, water and sanitation, education, social protection and political freedom;
* Upholding the rights of women and promoting gender equality;
* Protecting the most marginalised in society, including women, children, disabled and older people, minority and indigenous groups.
4. Respect the will, energy and ability of poor people to drive their own development: empowering poor countries and their citizens to determine their own paths out of poverty.
5. Reform global institutions to make them democratic and responsive to the needs of poor countries and ensure that the UK plays a progressive and pro-poor leadership role at both European and wider international levels.
6. Keep promises to poor people and poor countries embodied in international agreements including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
More and better aid and debt relief
Aid and debt relief are vital for the poorest countries and have delivered significant increases in pro-poor spending in recent years. However, the quantity and quality of UK aid and debt relief need to increase.
Any UK Government should therefore commit to:
- Spending at least 0.7% of national income on effective aid by 2013 at the latest and cancelling all illegitimate and unpayable developing country debt through the creation of a democratic and transparent debt tribunal. Targeting aid for the poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable, particularly women and children, to tackle hunger, ensure food security and improve publicly provided services such as health (including HIV/AIDS and other services), education, water and sanitation and build effective social protection schemes.
- Delivering aid effectively in coordinated and transparent ways, including through civil society organisations, without economic policy conditions attached (such as trade liberalisation and privatisation) and ensuring strong country ownership of development strategies.
- Maximising the potential of innovative financing mechanisms to generate additional resources to fill current gaps of sufficient volume to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Questions and Answers on Better aid and debt relief
Tackling climate change
The impacts of climate change will affect us all and we need to respond urgently. Climate change needs to be seen in the context of global justice, equity, and interdependence, and in the wider context of environmental sustainability.
Any UK Government should therefore commit to:
- Delivering on an ambitious, fair and binding global deal to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
- Making deep cuts in our own carbon dioxide emissions of at least 40% by 2020 and more than 80% by 2050, without resorting to offsets, and in addition supporting developing countries towards low-carbon development and a green economy.
- Taking a lead within the European Union to provide sufficient and verifiable new funding and technology transfer to the developing world, bearing in mind that the EU should be responsible for at least one third of the minimum $150 billion needed annually by developing countries by 2020 for mitigation and adaptation.
- Ensuring that this funding is additional to official development assistance (ODA) and channelled through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) supporting the poorest countries to adapt to and mitigate against climate change, ensuring adequate governance arrangements and taking into account social and political impacts.
Questions and answers on Tackling climate change
Making the global economy work for the poor
The global financial and economic system is marked by high levels of poverty and inequality and has contributed to environmental and economic crises.
Any UK Government should therefore commit to:
- Ensuring that trade deals – whether at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or through the EU – allow developing countries to retain control over their economies, and do not force through deregulation and liberalisation which would undermine development objectives.
- Insisting on fundamental reform of global financial institutions, particularly the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure that they engage all developing countries more equitably in their governance and decision-making structures, are made fully transparent and accountable and do not insist on economic conditions that could, for example, undermine social protection systems.
- Requiring greater transparency and automatic information exchange for tax havens, and pushing for a transparent international accounting standard that requires companies to report their financial activities on a country-by-country basis with a clear breakdown of economic activity.
- Introducing a UK Commission for Business, Human Rights and the Environment mandated to ensure adherence of UK companies to environmental and human rights standards.
- Supporting the decent work agenda by adequately funding the International Labour Organisation (ILO), encouraging all developing countries with which the UK works to have Decent Work Country Programmes and ratifying and implementing the core labour conventions of the ILO.
Questions and answers on Making the global economy work for the poor
Good governance and addressing corruption
Poor governance and corruption undermine poverty eradication and development, and exacerbate conflict. The UK Government’s domestic and foreign policy must promote transparency, public accountability and responsible private sector investment. Activities that directly contribute to corruption and poor governance must be ended.
Any UK Government should therefore commit to:
- Using its aid to contribute to expanding the space for citizens and state engagement and increased accountability, including support to parliamentary committees, national human rights institutions, independent auditing, the freedom of the press, civil society organisations, anti-corruption groups and academia.
- Ensuring that the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the OECD Anti Bribery Convention are fully incorporated into UK domestic law and establishing an annual, independent audit of the government’s implementation of both Conventions; and encouraging other countries to do likewise.
- Developing a cross-Whitehall strategy for tackling corruption and work closely with other donors and states to tackle the underlying factors which fuel and facilitate corruption.
Questions and answers on Good governance and addressing corruption
Responding to conflict situations
Violent conflict is a human tragedy which undermines development and exacerbates poverty. The UK must play a leading role in preventing conflict and promoting international human rights law. Conflict-affected and fragile countries are complex and pose formidable challenges that the UK Government must approach with a long-term view.
Any UK Government should therefore commit to:
- Promoting human security by upholding international humanitarian and human rights agreements and laws including the UN ‘Responsibility to Protect’, supporting the International Criminal Court, pressing for successful negotiations over a robust and comprehensive global Arms Trade Treaty and implementing UN Security Council Resolutions such as those addressing violence against women in conflict and the protection of children affected by armed conflict.
- Developing a cross-Government strategy for preventing violent conflict and working to joint country strategies across relevant departments, particularly in conflict-affected countries.
- Ensuring that political and foreign policy interests are clearly separated from the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and to make all efforts to protect and promote humanitarian space and humanitarian principles whereby people affected by conflict are assured access to impartial and independent assistance.
- Ensuring that whilst development aid aims at poverty eradication, and in conflict situations is used to promote human security and access to justice, it is not diverted to equipping security forces.
