On world humanitarian assistance day I had the good fortune to pick up an award as a humanitarian ambassador on behalf of all the people of the UK who contribute to the British government’s overseas development budget. In 2013, the UK met the target of contributing 0.7% of its national income in aid for the first time. Our total aid expenditure reached £11.4 billion, or 0.72% of national income. By doing this the UK has joined a very select group – as well as the UK, only Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates spent more than 0.7% of their national income in aid in 2013.
The money we all pay genuinely contributes to saving lives, providing sustainable development and alleviating poverty. But perhaps you don’t have the opportunity to see the results as much as I do. So I thought I would share some of the things I have seen this year. First you are helping save the forests in Northern Guatemala and give the people there the power to know how to manage the natural resources better. You have supported projects of maternal health in Quetzaltenango to make sure that mothers are able to deliver their babies into the world in safe circumstances. You have helped the authorities in Quiché produce a guide on how to prevent lynching and improve access to justice. You have supported women in areas with high levels of domestic violence to find new ways of talking about and resolving their problems. You have helped young entrepreneurs from both Guatemala and Honduras develop their ideas to find a way to make a living.
Makes you proud to be British, I hope.
