Meg Hillier gives support to campaign to make poverty history

Meg Hillier, the Labour and Co-operative Party parliamentary candidate for Hackney South and Shoreditch speaking at a meeting of residents in Lower Clapton last week, urged more people to get signed up to the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign.

‘Sunday 24 April was World Poverty Day and considering the historical role played by the Co-operative Movement in the fight against global poverty, I want to urge people to sign up to fight poverty,’ she told the meeting.

‘The Co-operative Party will campaign within the international co-operative movement to call for foreign governments to support the International Finance Facility (IFF).

‘The IFF is currently the most advanced proposal that could help raise the extra $50bn required to meet the MDG in 2015. I would also like to see the encouraging of the implementation of a Tax on Currency Transaction (Tobin Tax) as a medium and long term means to raise more funding for international development,’ she said.

Meg added: ‘Labour (if elected) must aim as a new government to reach the target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2010.

‘If elected, I will be joining the Co-operative parliamentary group of Labour MPs who welcome the public change of position of the UK Government on issues related to trade relationships between developed and developing countries,’ said Meg.

She went on: ‘These changes having only just been announced, I will be actively campaigning to ensure that the rhetoric is followed up by appropriate action. The Labour Government must stick to its word that Britain will not force trade liberalisation on developing countries through trade negotiations or aid conditions.

‘And the Government must go another step further and fully address the issue of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) opening up their economies to an arbitrary timescale.

‘I will be joining the call for the UK Government to use its influence over the G8 Summit in July in the UK, and the EU Presidency to ensure that debts of the poorest countries are cancelled in full.’

Ends

For further information, please contact Ian Rathbone 07890 654 068 or e-mail ian.rathbone@tiscali.co.uk

Notes to editors

1. Drop the Debt

• The UK has already shown welcome political leadership in unilaterally cancelling 100% of the debt owed directly to it by many of the world’s poorest countries, and agreeing to cover its share of the debts they owe to the World Bank and African Development Bank.
• The Co-operative Party supports the UK Government proposal that IMF gold reserves should be used to fund the cancellation of IMF debt and will encourage our international partners to call for their Governments to support such initiative.

1. Labour Policy

What we have achieved

• We are increasing the UK aid budget and have introduced the International Development Act which outlaws the use of British aid for any purpose other than poverty reduction.
• The UK is providing up to 100 per cent debt relief for those countries committed to using the proceeds to benefit the poor. And we have said that we will pay our share of the debt owed to the World Bank and the African Development Bank by the
  poorest countries.
• We have untied aid so poor countries can use the money to buy goods and services from the most cost-effective source.
• Labour has announced the biggest ever investment for tackling HIV/AIDS. We will spend £1.5 billion for AIDS funding over the next three years, including a doubling of its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

What we are committed to

• We will make Africa, along with climate change, a priority of our Presidencies of the EU and G8 in 2005.
• Labour is committed to meeting the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on international development and have said we wish to achieve this by 2013.
• We will continue to work for trade justice to ensure that the Doha trade round delivers real benefits for developing countries. And we will press for greater reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.
• We will seek support for our proposed International Finance Facility which will raise the additional £50 billion needed to deliver the Millennium Development Goals.
• Labour will work towards an International Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the flow of small arms.