Eliminating world poverty: Building our common future

This White Paper from the British Government sets out the aims in tackling poverty around the world. This includes a firm focus on tackling poverty across government, in setting objectives, deciding policies and allocating financial and other resources. The government continues its commitment that the purpose of UK aid remains, and is rightly, poverty reduction. The aim is to ensure ensure that every pound of UK aid spent contributes towards direct and tangible impacts, saving lives, putting children into school, creating economic opportunities for the poor, and preventing confict. The government promotes the highest levels of transparency, effciency and effectiveness in their aid programme, ensuring robust and independent evaluation of their work.

These and the following pledges are described in this document:

• sustained, fairer and greener growth;
• support economic growth;
• address economic and environmental sustainability together
• lead the world in ‘green’ development, ensuring sustainable development and the fight against climate change and its effects are at the heart of what is done;
• promote job creation and a responsible role for the private sector in supporting poor countries to improve their infrastructure, expand markets and trade with the rest of the world – with a new focus on environmental sustainability;
• help make people safer - to reform security forces, police and legal systems so that poor people, especially women, do not live in fear of persecution or violence;
• provide economic opportunities to cement secure and peaceful states and societies;
• committed to global approaches and global leadership;
• respond to the global nature of current and future problems by scaling up commitment to delivering resources and achieving agreements at the international level;
• reinforce partnerships with others to drive progress;
• strengthen partnerships across the board, with developing countries, civil society organisations, faith groups, trade unions, philanthropic organisations and the private sector.

Charting a new course in international development, these pledges have a purpose. The British Government is committing to play their part in reaching the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, respond to new challenges and to build a platform for further action on poverty beyond that date. This White Paper charts new courses. It marks a renewed commitment to the ideals of international development, but also goes in new and fresh directions.