EYP Talk - Your voice on Europe's future. This is the online forum of the European Youth Parliament in the UK.

More and better aid?

More and better aid? What should be the EU’s priorities in the fight against global poverty?

The panellists in this discussion are:

Barbara Stocking
Director, Oxfam GB

Barbara Stocking is the Director of Oxfam GB – a development, relief, and campaigning organisation that works with others to overcome poverty.

Caroline Lucas MEP

Dr Caroline Lucas is Green Party MEP for South East England, and is a member of the European Parliament’s International Trade and Environment Committees. She was first elected in 1999, and before that worked as head of trade policy for a major development agency.

XML feed

previous discussion | next discussion

Response

Posted by Barbara Stocking on 23/02/2007 - 12:54

Richard Royal asks why the EU should spend money on tackling global poverty – particularly in Africa – when there are poor people in Europe. Sophie Stewart asks if we can manage simultaneously to alleviate poverty today whilst acting to prevent the future poverty that climate change will cause.

Both are important questions. I believe that there is an urgent imperative to tackle global poverty and inequality – in both rich and poor countries – and in 1996 Oxfam established the UK Poverty Programme, bringing our experience of working with poor communities around the world to help in finding innovative and effective solutions to tackling poverty at home.

Poverty and Climate Change

Posted by Sophie Stewart on 06/02/2007 - 18:22

Going back to the point made by Caroline Lucas about environmental degradation, it could be argued that whilst fighting to eradicate poverty now is certainly a priority, perhaps we should be focusing our efforts on combating climate change by significantly reducing our carbon dioxide (amongst other) emissions, investing in renewable energy scheme, following the lead of nations within the EU such as Denmark.

It is a difficult question of balance - yes, people experience dire poverty today, but this poverty will only be worsened and become more widespread in the future if we do not act now to reduce the impact of climate change and the devastating effects that it will have. Can we manage simultaneously to alleviate poverty today and at the same time act towards preventing the poverty of the future with equal force?

More and Better Aid

Posted by Caroline Lucas on 04/02/2007 - 11:52

Richard Royal asks why we should focus on poverty in Africa when there are many people in the EU who live below the poverty line. Fair question. But the EU in general, and the UK in particular, are certainly rich enough to do both - one doesn't have to be at the expense of the other. As ever, it's a question of political will. Moreover, through some of our economic policies, we are actually exacerbating poverty in parts of Africa - and that clearly needs to stop. Finally, the world has never been so interconnected as it is today. Apart from the moral arguments to support poverty eradication, it's also clear that a world without poverty would be a safer world for all of us.
A. Hardman asks what individuals can do to make a difference. There are some really exciting organisations to join - apart from big NGOs like Oxfam, there are also smaller ones like People and Planet, for example, which can help you organise some great campaigns in schools and colleges. Second, buying fair trade products can also really make a difference. And while it might not sound much, writing to your MP or MEP, asking them what they're doing to advance this agenda, is another useful way of building up pressure for long overdue action.

Why should we be spending

Posted by RichardRoyal on 03/02/2007 - 19:04

Why should we be spending European Union money on global poverty when there are those within the Union itself who live below the poverty line, perhaps we should be concentrating on urban regeneration schemes rather than funding another continent, after all, what has African aid got to do with us?

Can we help?

Posted by AHardman on 02/02/2007 - 17:24

I would like to pose a question to both Caroline and Barbara. Aside from hoping for greater political intervention on the topic of tackling global poverty, is there anything that you believe we, as young citizens of Europe can be doing to help? Are there organisations we can join, petitions we can sign or people we could write to? It is all too easy (and often common) to be aware of a problem but to feel that there is very little that you, as one single person, can do to help a situation 'beyond your control'. What steps, if any, do you feel we can individually take to begin tackling this situation?

More and better aid

Posted by Barbara Stocking on 29/01/2007 - 14:41

In the twenty-first century, it is a scandal that anyone lives without the most basic of human rights – safe drinking water, proper sanitation, access to medical care and education. And yet millions of families still go without. Access to essential services should not be the preserve of the few, and it doesn’t have to be so.

Aid works. It really does. In my role as Director of Oxfam GB I witness aid making a difference to poor people’s lives the world over. The European Union is the world’s largest donor, so it clearly has a major role to play in tackling global poverty. Whilst more is still needed, the EU’s commitments to increase aid volumes and to improve aid efficiency have been welcome – the key thing now is for the EU member states and the European Commission to deliver on these promises. They should also ensure that developing countries can spend the aid in accordance with their national development plans and priorities.

More and better aid

Posted by Caroline Lucas on 29/01/2007 - 14:39

Development remains the greatest challenge facing us today: the process of tackling the grinding poverty and growing inequality faced by billions around the world. According to UNICEF, today – and every day - 30,000 children will die due to poverty.

This dark reality is a humanitarian disaster, which diminishes us all. But the biggest scandal is that it is entirely preventable. Were there sufficient political will globally, it would not be difficult to rid the world of such poverty. More and better aid, properly targeted, and with a particular focus on women, is certainly part of the answer – but only part.