Tag Archives: DFID

UK’s European policy – already broken? or magician’s distraction?

Posted on July 15, 2016 | 3 comments

I finished my first post-Brexit post by noting the “exquisitely sharp dilemma” Britain’s new Prime Minister has to manage. That was before she seemingly decided to sharpen the dilemma by appointing Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary. But some of Theresa May‘s other new Cabinet appointments may give more reason for serious reflection.  Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Brexit

Tagged , , , , , ,

Development aid and peacekeeping: what can the money be spent on?

Posted on March 22, 2013 | 2 comments

This week it was confirmed that in 2013 the UK will hit the target of spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on official development assistance (ODA). A long-standing campaigning goal for development NGOs and a moral goal for the country have been achieved. And the week before, UK Secretary for International Development Justine Greening said in the House of Commons on Wednesday that she thought it right to look at how DFID can work more closely with the Ministry of Defence.’ Let’s take a closer look. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Development aid debate – today and post-2015

Posted on September 26, 2012 | 1 comment

Further to my 24 September post on the re-emerging debate in Britain about foreign aid, I neglected a major reason why the government’s commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GDP on development assistance isn’t changing: Prime Minister David Cameron is co-chair of the UN High Level Panel on the future of development. No surprise, then, that he confirmed the 0.7 per cent commitment straight after the panel’s first meeting. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in International development

Tagged , , , , ,

Development aid – its opponents and proponents

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 3 comments

A new debate is heating up in Britain about overseas development assistance – ODA. To foreign observers struck by how international generosity became a cross-party consensus here, it may come as something of a surprise that development aid is under pressure. But it is real and should be heeded for well-honed arguments are needed. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in International development

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

England’s riots: If the UK were a fragile state…

Posted on August 15, 2011 | 9 comments

Last week, rioting and looting gripped England. At a time when many people are feeling in one way or another bad about our country, it seemed salient (and perhaps inevitable) to ask, if the UK were a fragile state, how would we approach the events of last week, their aftermath and the future? Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in Conflict & peace, Riots

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The world is not prepared for climate-related conflict

Posted on April 28, 2011 | 2 comments

A recent meeting at DFID brought together a number of people from different government departments, NGOs and research centres to discuss some of the under-discussed aspects of the climate/security links. Laurie Goering captured the essence of the discussion in this AlertNet article.

2 Comments

Posted in Climate change, Conflict & peace

Tagged ,

From the UK gov’t, a good message on development and peace

Posted on September 22, 2010 | 1 comment

The UK’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell made a speech in London on 16 September setting out his and DFID’s approach on development, security, conflict and peace issues. It was barely noticed by the press. That’s a shame because it was very important – far more so than what he and other members of the government are saying this week at (or about) the UN Millennium Summit in New York. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,