Save the Children welcomes the publication of the new DFID White Paper on International Development
Monday 6 July 2009
We particularly welcome the strong commitments on maternal and child mortality, nutrition, social protection and the increased emphasis on conflict-affected and fragile states.
David Mepham, Save the Children's Director of Policy, said:
"DFID is right to say that tackling poverty more effectively requires more focus on the needs of conflict-affected states. But that should mean helping to ensure the delivery of health, education and social protection services, alongside institutional reforms. Investing in people is a necessary underpinning of greater security, not a distraction from it.
"DFID also needs to give greater focus to the issue of equity across all of its work. While economic growth is a necessary condition for poverty reduction, it is far from being a sufficient one. Countries as disparate as India and Angola have achieved impressive rates of economic growth in recent years, but have failed to deliver a commensurate improvement in human development indicators. Angola has an under-5 mortality rate of 260 per thousand live births, while nearly half of India's children are malnourished. DFID and other development agencies need to strengthen their support for inclusive development that delivers for the poorest and most marginalised communities."
Read our response to the Conservative Green Paper.