Scottish Catholic Observer

A pledge to increase aid spending, as the UK tries to hit a United Nations target of spending 0.7 per cent of its domestic product on aid, was announced last month.

Concerns had been raised among some MPs that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget is being cut by eight per cent over four years, while the Department for International Development’s (DFID) is growing by a third.

Prime Minister David Cameron has since, however, signalled that money from the DFID will be used to help pay for ‘stabilisation’ operations by the Armed Forces in fragile states in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and that the aid and defence ministries already work very closely together.

Reacting to the news, Patricia Chalé, director of SCIAF, said that development aid ‘must have at its heart the value and dignity of the human beings it is designed to serve.’

“Speculation that the lines between development objectives and defence spending may be blurred, could put the credibility of our aid in danger, particularly in the communities in which it is delivered,” Ms Chalé said.

“Like the Prime Minister, we understand that peace is vital if developing countries are to flourish. SCIAF believes, however, that peace is best achieved when investment is focused firmly on meeting development goals. That means resources should be directed towards education, nutrition, agriculture and addressing the impacts of a changing climate. Addressing these areas will inevitably help to prevent many future conflicts arising.

“SCIAF’s own programme work in countries recovering from war and conflict—such as Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo—focuses on building trust between different people at a family and community level through programmes of education, peace and reconciliation.”

PIC: PAUL McSHERRY