Autumn Conference

At virtual Conference, with the support of the Coalition for Global Prosperity and BOND, the Lib Dems in International Development held two panel events which spoke to recent policy changes affecting development, and looked ahead to the future of aid.

Simon Bishop, CEO of Fund Nutrition and Chair of the Coalition for Global Prosperity, opened the event.

Firstly, Paul Abernethy from BOND chaired a panel on ‘Decolonising Aid’. Angela Zamaere Smith, Programmes Director at All We Can, illustrated aid in a ‘suit and tie’, whereby donors from rich countries prescribe solutions to communities. She argued that aid cannot be about serving British interests only, but instead should be locally led and supported by facilitators such as the UK. 

Shannon Paige, Policy Associate at Peace Direct, highlighted how, during Covid-19, local actors have filled gaps left by the pandemic. She emphasised that the first step ought to be recognising power dynamics of aid, whereby it is received by communities not as generosity but as responsibility derived from past relationships. 

Lord Purvis, Lib Dem Lords Spokesperson on Development, cited the example of the Scottish relationship with Malawi, to highlight the historical context on which our future cooperation rests. He argued that it was critical to have an awareness of historical reality, moving forward with global leadership in development cooperation and capacity building, as well as humility and introspection. Far from this response, the approach to the global pandemic by rich countries, and the UK’s change of policy around DFID and the 0.7% GNI commitment, compromise the UK’s potential to move forward as a reliable partner for communities in achieving the Global Goals. 

In the discussion that followed, a key theme emerged around UK interests. Shannon Paige highlighted that ethical priorities are as critical to UK taxpayers as financial ones, and Lord Purvis called for stronger political leadership. Angela pointed out that holding the government to account is a critical role that the Lib Dems play, including the campaigns being fought by Lord Purvis and others around the unlawful 0.7% reduction.

This panel was followed by Simon Bishop ‘In Conversation’ with Wendy Chamberlain MP and Baron Oates, supported by the Coalition for Global Prosperity. Baron Oates revealed that the 0.7% GNI commitment to aid was an impetus to get involved in politics, highlighting that the commitment only became law because of the commitments of Lord Purvis. He emphasised the triple-effect of the pandemic on the most vulnerable countries in the world: due to reduced aid budgets, low vaccine numbers, and travel restrictions impacting tourism economies. Wendy argued that reducing our aid spending opened the door for countries with more strategic direction than the UK who do not share its interests. 

Highlighting that Integrated Review had played down the UK’s role and reputation in development, Simon Bishop posed a hypothetical policy direction for development to the panellists. Baron Oates listed climate change and governance as priorities, citing Ethiopia as an example.

In the discussion that followed, the audience contributed on the themes of good governance, highlighting the importance of LGBT+ rights in future policy direction, and evaluating the balance between national values and interests.