THE DEVELOPMENT WHITE
PAPER (continued)
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. International
development must be at the centre of all government policy, not
just a well-meaning afterthought. It is an essential part of
responsible planning for the future of our own country (Paragraph
1).
2. We welcome the
creation of DFID. We believe that it will give new focus to the
United Kingdom's development activity and also inject greater
sensitivity to developmental issues throughout Whitehall (Paragraph
3).
3. We recommend that
the Secretary of State for International Development be a full
member of the Cabinet Committee on Defence and Overseas Policy
(Paragraph 9).
4. We recommend that
the departmental reports of other government departments, including
the FCO, the Treasury, DTI, MAFF, DfEE, DH and DETRS, all include
a section on how their policy and activities have promoted international
development and the elimination of poverty. We intend from time
to time to take evidence from them on this matter (Paragraph 10).
5. The concern to
eliminate poverty provides an admirable focusing of our development
efforts on the truly important (Paragraph 11).
6. We recommend that
in the office of the United Kingdom Representative to the European
Commission in Brussels there be personnel and input from DFID
at the highest level to ensure progress in the reform of the European
Union development programme. This should be at the same level
as DFID's representation at the World Bank (Paragraph 15).
7. We recommend that
the United Kingdom press for the adoption of the DAC targets by
the European Union (Paragraph 16).
We believe that the adoption
of the DAC targets by the European Union must be in the context
of a new coherent development policy. The European Union needs
its own `Development White Paper' and the United Kingdom should
work for one in 1998 (Paragraph 16).
8. We recommend that
the OECD be encouraged to produce interim development targets
for international agreement (Paragraph 17).
9. We invite the
Government to explain what formal relationship they propose between
the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and the OECD Guidelines
on Multinational Enterprises and whether they support the formal
incorporation of the Guidelines into the MAI (Paragraph 23).
10. The British Government
had "put in reservations on the MAI on the question of poor
labour standards and environmental protection to make sure that
countries are not driven into creating incentives to attract investment
that mean constantly cutting labour standards or cutting environmental
standards". We welcome this concern to protect core labour
and environmental standards (Paragraph 24).
11. We recommend that
the Government provide more detail of its macroeconomic policy,
and in particular the advantages and disadvantages of globalisation
and the kinds of pro-poor policy which can be adopted to avoid
marginalisation. We also recommend that the Government press
for `poverty audits' to be applied to the proposals and structural
adjustment programmes of multilateral institutions such as the
IMF and the World Bank (Paragraph 25).
12. We would welcome an
account by DFID of how they intend to assist the small scale and
informal economies of the developing world and how DFID can encourage
the provision of micro-credit, in particular to women (Paragraph
26).
13. We look forward to
the creation of specific programmes to assist women, to the establishment
of gender-specific targets within development programmes, and
to an assessment of the effect on women to be included in all
evaluation of development assistance (Paragraph 27).
14. Great improvements
can no doubt be achieved through effective development policy.
This should not blind us to the continuing need for more money
to fund the development programme. On that point the White Paper
remains unacceptably reticent. We recommend that the Government
commit itself to an expenditure of at least 0.37 per cent of GNP
on official development assistance by the end of this Parliament
(Paragraph 30).
15. We recommend that
targets for DFID's bilateral programmes and performance against
those targets be published in the annual reports. We recommend
that the Government also provide regular information on how its
bilateral programmes, and in particular technical assistance,
have reduced poverty. We recommend that the Government commit
itself to the 20/20 initiative and provide the Committee with
information on how this target can be integrated into the agreed
country programmes (Paragraph 31).
16. We wish to be informed
of all use of mixed credits by DFID. It is important that any
such proposal receive independent scrutiny (Paragraph 33).
17. We recommend that
the United Kingdom Government make it a priority of this Parliament
to initiate and promote an international campaign for the multilateral
untying of aid. This should be combined with the multilateral
elimination of export subsidies (Paragraph 34).
18. The White Paper promises
"discussions with British business" to support responsible
investment and trade, which are important for sustainable development.
We recommend that DFID provide more information to the Committee
on the form and timetable for these further discussions and report
on their content and conclusions. At present the proposals for
the involvement of British business as found in the White Paper
appear too vague to be very useful (Paragraph 36).
19. We retain some concerns
concerning the Government's plans for the Commonwealth Development
Corporation and will examine this question further when more details
are announced (Paragraph 37).
20. We would welcome further
acknowledgment in the Government response to this Report that
support to and involvement of civil society in developing countries
is an essential part of effective policy in all circumstances,
not only when partnership with government is impossible (Paragraph
38).
21. We recommend that
the Government response to this Report contain a detailed account
of how the Government will include the NGOs in the implementation
of its development policy, providing an analysis of those areas
where the NGOs enjoy a comparative advantage over government activity
(Paragraph 40).
22. We recommend that
further detail be provided in the Government response of how ethnic
minority and refugee groups in the United Kingdom are to be involved
in the development process (Paragraph 41).
23. We recommend that
the Secretary of State report to the Committee the findings of
her review of current development education activity and give
details of what the Department will do to improve development
awareness and participation among the adult population. We have
little doubt that extra resources will be necessary to finance
effective development education among the general public (Paragraph
43).
24. We reassert our recommendation
that the reasonable assistance needs of the Dependent Territories
should no longer be a first call on the development programme
(Paragraph 44).
25. We recommend that
DFID introduce Hazard Impact Assessments for new developments
in recognised risk areas, ensure also that all such developments
are hazard resistant, and consider how best to assist vulnerable
disaster prone countries in the vital task of risk assessment
(Paragraph 47).
26. We would encourage
DFID to put forward projects to promote conflict prevention.
We also wish to see projects concerned with post-conflict reconstruction,
in particular the creation of employment opportunities and the
rapid establishment of social services in post-settlement reconstruction
in parallel with the decommissioning of arms (Paragraph 48).
27. We recommend that
DFID provide details of the work and procedures of the Whitehall
committee charged with examining requests for arms licences (Paragraph
49).
28. We recommend that
the Government introduce conflict impact assessments of its policy
towards vulnerable countries and promote such an approach in multilateral
institutions (Paragraph 50).
29. We welcome the White
Paper's emphasis on good governance and its determination to fight
corruption and to uphold human rights both through bilateral and
multilateral action. We must never again witness the use of aid
to bolster corrupt and cruel regimes. This must be the policy
of all government departments, not just DFID. We remain to be
convinced that other departments have taken this policy to heart.
We will monitor the policies and actions of all departments to
ensure they promote human rights and good governance in developing
countries (Paragraph 53).
30. We end by again welcoming
the White Paper, which is an impressive survey of development
issues and a long overdue attempt to bring focus and coherence
to Government policy. If implemented, such policies will make
the United Kingdom a leading force for the sustainable and peaceful
development of our planet. This is a worthy ambition, and one
we will wholeheartedly support (Paragraph 56).
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