Abolish 0.7% UK aid target, say peers
UK peers are urging the UK government to drop its commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on aid, arguing it prioritises spending over results and jeopardises the quality and effectiveness of aid programmes.
In a report published on Thursday, the House of Lords economic affairs committee said enshrining the 0.7% figure into law "would deprive future governments of the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances at home and abroad". Peers said there was no compelling evidence to enact this legislation. "The secretary of state has not put forward any case for legislation other than the government's political commitment to it," they said.
Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market, chairman of the committee, said members were "unanimous in our view that legislation for a 0.7% target for overall aid spending is inappropriate, and that the government should reconsider the target itself".
"We believe that development aid should be judged by the criteria of effectiveness and value for money, not by whether a specific arbitrary spending target is reached," he said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/mar/29/abolish-uk-aid-target-say-peers
