Month: November 2010
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Ahead of World AIDS Day, David Cairns writes for Progress
Tomorrow, 1 December, is World AIDS Day. Ahead of the day, David Cairns has written for Progress about his experiences meeting an inspirational woman in Nairobi, Kenya. This woman, who spoke out about her HIV, found that her son was sacked from his job, even though his employers knew he was not HIV positive. Stories…
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Overseas Champion for violence against women? Well, it’s a start……
“When I questioned the male councillors on the way they conducted meetings…they retaliated with threats and violence. They kidnapped me for a week and I was beaten repeatedly and not given food. My family were also threatened.” Marta Martínez, Bolivian Councillor When I first heard the words above, spoken by a Bolivian Councillor whose organisation…
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Harriet’s first speech outlines some critical areas for international development
This article was originally posted on Left Foot Forward. This morning, shadow international development secretary Harriet Harman gave a speech at ActionAid headquarters in London. Marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Ms Harman outlined six key priorities for the future of international development: 1. Realising the 0.7 per cent GNP pledge…
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A plea from the DRC
There is a piece over on Progress written by two Congolese women who now live in London and run the It Must Stop campaign. It documents the many horrifying failings in the Democratic Republic of Congo that have existed for decades. The authors rightly remind us that a whole nation can throw up its arms…
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Why did DfID spend £2m on the Pope’s visit to the UK?
This article first appeared on Left Foot Forward. A Written Ministerial Statement today reveals that the Department for International Development (DfID) spent nearly £2m on the Pope’s successful visit to the UK. The document states that £1.85m was transferred to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office “in respect of the papal visit.” This follows a written Parliamentary Answer by Lord Sassoon…
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Will long-term poverty reduction fail under the Tories?
There is an article running on the Guardian website analysing the contradiction at the heart of Conservative international development policy. It looks at the emerging schism between traditional Conservative values on aid and the ring-fenced budget; as well as between an increased focus on security and the alleviation of poverty. LCID has run several articles…
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Join Hilary Benn and others for a public debate in Leeds!
On Saturday 4 December, Emma Hoddinott will be chairing a public debate in Leeds to discuss sereral areas of international development. Among the panel of speakers will be Hilary Benn MP, former International Development Secretary. Saturday 4 December Leeds Civic Hall 1:45pm for a 2pm start, until 4pm Topics for the debate will include: Should…
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Brown gives evidence to the select committee
Earlier this week, Gordon Brown gave evidence to the International Development Select Committee, warning that increased protectionism during the global recession would hurt African development. The BBC have a great article about the session and you can watch footage of Brown’s evidence here. As you may know, we won’t meet the MDGs on current trends…
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Harriet Harman on the G20
There is a great blog over on Progress by Harriet Harman on the G20 negotiations that have been happening and how the coalition government should be approaching aid for developing nations. The G20 are currently meeting in Seoul giving the international community a chance to put tackling global poverty firmly at the top of the…
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Tax Havens, Conservatives and the Developing World
After the recent investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches programme that Conservative Ministers, Andrew Mitchell the International Development Secretary amongst them, store their wealth in off-shore bank accounts, the question of the harm done by these locations and their practices are now being asked. The figure quoted in the Dispatches investigation is that for every £1…
Labour Campaign for International Development 