Category: Conflict
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Owen Smith MP – my commitment to tackling poverty at home and abroad
Owen Smith MP, candidate in the 2016 Labour Leadership contest, blogs for LCID on his commitment to international development – @OwenSmith_MP Anyone in any doubt about the right-wing agenda of this new Tory government should take a look at two of Theresa May’s lesser commented-on appointments over the summer – that of Priti Patel as International Development
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David Miliband makes the case for Britain in Europe
Today in London David Miliband, the former Foreign Secretary and current CEO of International Rescue Committee, delivered a speech making the case for the UK to remain in Europe, including why the EU matters for international development. Some of his comments are reproduced below: At the heart of our British success story in
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On the 22nd Anniversary of the Genocide, Rwanda is defying both global expectations and wishes
By Claire Leigh – Consultant at UNDP, 2015 Labour Parliamentary Candidate and former Chair of LCID – @ClaireLeighLab It is almost frustrating to start every discussion on Rwanda by referencing the infamous genocide that took place there twenty two years ago. The country today is almost unrecognisable from the place that tore itself apart in 1994 at
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Cameron may be breaking OECD aid rules to placate Tory backbenchers
As posted on Left Foot Forward. The Labour Campaign for International Development warned before the 2010 election that there was a risk the Conservatives would divert the aid budget away from poverty reduction and towards national security. Today’s news that hundreds of millions of pounds may be diverted to peacekeeping defence operations in bid toplacate backbenchers proves those warnings right. And it wasn’t
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Ivan Lewis on reports that aid agencies have been banned from operating inside Somalia
Ivan Lewis has commented on reports that international aid agencies have been banned from operating inside Somalia. The news that some UN and international aid agencies have been banned from operating inside Somalia is extremely concerning. I am relieved by reports that staff are safe at the moment but it is undoubtedly a distressing situation
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Why we need to stand in solidarity with Afghan women
Kate Hughes, campaigner for the Rights in Crisis Team at Oxfam write for us. Ten years ago, Afghan women were promised a bright future. After decades of civil war, and repressive Taliban rule, they have entered a new era in which they are once again able to work, send their daughters to school, and even
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Labour government refused to sell guns to repressive regime
The Wikileaks cables reveal that the UK Government refused a US$60M export licence for assault rifles, heavy machine guns, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters to be exported to Swaziland in 2008. The Swaziland government is dues to spend 10% of its budget on police and the army and has, in recent years has used force
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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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Labour ratifies Cluster Munition Convention in one of our last acts
We just wanted to highlight one of the last acts of the Labour Government – On the 4th May the UK became the 32nd country to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The instrument of ratification was deposited at the UN in New York on May 4. The treaty will now enter into force for
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Labour’s Manifesto on International Development
Extract from Labour’s manifesto The global poverty emergency: our moral duty, our common interest Labour’s international leadership on development has helped transform the lives of millions across the world. Yet too many people still live in extreme poverty, die from treatable diseases, or are denied the chance to go to school. We will lead an
Labour Campaign for International Development 