Short: hoping to halve world poverty

Clare Short, interviewed on Radio 4's Today Programme (3 minutes 30 seconds)

Short to Step Up Attack on World Poverty

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Ms Short said she believed Britain should move towards meeting the target set by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development of halving world poverty. In addition, she suggested Britain might move towards the UN recommendation that 0.7% of Gross Domestic Product should be set aside for aid.

Ms Short envisaged that the increase in aid spending would probably take place in over two years time, partly due to Labour's commitments on public spending. However, she also said, "I can modify spending only at the margins in Year One because good development projects take time to prepare."

"I am attempting to shift our spending towards a much more sharply-focused poverty eradication agenda in Year Two.

"I will then be in a position to ask for more resources in Year Three. I hope to be able to show that they will make a measurable difference."

Ms Short pointed out that Britain's aid budget had dropped by nearly a half during the Conservatives' time in office and that Labour had "fought the election on a commitment to reinstate the UN target of 0.7%". Under the Conservatives the level of aid was just under 0.3%

Ms Short is carrying out a complete review of Britain's aid programme with a view to the publication of a White Paper in the Autumn, "which will give stronger focus to achieving measurable results in poverty reduction".

She hopes that world poverty can be halved by the year 2015 and eliminated by 2030. "My aim is that we should eliminate aid and I hope that within 25-30 years both the aid programme and my department will be closed down because our basic task has been accomplished."

"If we work well and try to use our influence on all the big powerful world bodies that Britain sits on, there's a chance at this moment for a big shift in policy aim of focusing down on poverty eradication."