6 Conclusion
42. The draft International Development (Official
Development Assistance Target) Bill proposes to enshrine in legislation
a commitment to provide 0.7% of GNI as Official Development Assistance
from 2013 onwards. The Government has already made the commitment
and has indicated that it is currently on target to meet it. The
proposed legislation would therefore make a duty out of an already
agreed target which the Government believes would otherwise remain
vulnerable.[70] The evidence
we received has generally been supportive of the objectives of
the draft Bill although witnesses doubted whether it would necessarily
achieve the wider impact on other donors or developing countries
which the Government claims. The main reasons cited in the evidence
for supporting the Bill are that it will help to guarantee that
the target will be met in future years when perhaps there is less
political support for it, and that it will enhance UK leadership
in international development. Both of these are worthy objectives.
43. We have explored the potential impact of
the legislation on other donors and on developing countries. We
have also looked at the related issue of how ODA is defined. While
there is no proposal to change this definition, or to amend the
2002 International Development Act, there are risks that the poverty
focus of DFID's ODA may be diluted by the pressure to increase
aid levels. Our examination of the accountability measures showed
that they were weak and needed to be strengthened by an action
plan should the target not be met. In our view there is little
point enshrining a duty in law unless there is a means of holding
those responsible for that duty to account.
44. We are fully supportive of the UK commitment
to meet the 0.7% target in 2013. Our comments on this draft legislation
do not alter that long-held view. This is a longstanding international
target and the fact that the UK intends to meet it ahead of many
other EU and G8 donors, at a time of economic difficulty, marks
it out as a leader in the field. It is important that the target
is met in 2013 and that it continues to be met whichever political
party is in power and whether or not this legislation is taken
forward after the General Election.
70 DFID, Impact Assessment of the draft International
Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill, 6 January
2010 Back
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