Deputy PM pledges to increase UK overseas aid spending
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has confirmed that UK aid spending will increase to 0.7% of gross national income from 2013 - doubling its spending on maternal health and child mortality in poor countries.
Deputy PM Nick Clegg has used the UN summit on the Millennium Development Goals to confirm that UK aid spending will increase to 0.7% of gross national income from 2013 - doubling its spending on maternal health and child mortality in poor countries.
Mr Clegg also called on other nations to show the same level of commitment as the UK to the MDG pledges to raise living standards in the developing world.
The Deputy PM said:
Our goal is to double the number of women and children’s lives saved.
Our new commitment means we will be saving the lives of at least 50,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth, and of a quarter of a million babies - as well as enabling 10 million couples to access modern family planning.
Speaking to the UN General Assembly hall, Mr Clegg appealed to rich countries to honour their past pledges on the Millennium Development Goals.
The last decade has seen some important progress. That progress has, however, been uneven, and, on a number of our goals we remain significantly off track.
So my message to you today, from the UK Government, is this - we will keep our promises and we expect the rest of the international community to do the same.
On Thursday the Deputy PM travelled to Washington to meet US Vice President Joe Biden. Following their meeting they issued a joint statement urging the international community to do more in support of flood relief efforts in Pakistan.
They called for the international community to “respond fully, rapidly and with effective co-ordination and leadership”.
Statements and articles: DPM and US Vice President joint statement on Pakistan
Speeches and transcripts: DPM’s speech at Millennium Development Goals Summit
Previous story: DPM heads to Millennium Development Goals Summit