Christian Aid looks for an end to poverty

10.35.00am GMT Sun 21st Mar 2010

Christian Aid has identified climate change and tax dodging as the two key ways in which the capitalist system keeps millions in a state of unnecessary poverty.

They say climate change is already killing 300,000 people a year in poor countries. With no fair or binding deal reached in Copenhagen, this has to be a key election issue and politicians must act before it is too late for the world's poor.

Tax dodging by some unscrupulous multinational companies denies poor countries at least $160 billion a year. This is more than one and a half times the amount poor countries receive in aid. With greater transparency in companies' financial reporting, developing countries could claw back this money for health, education and fighting poverty.

Christian Aid has put together an election manifesto, outlining the key steps the government must take to tackle the causes and symptoms of poverty:

www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/ChristianAid2010ElectionManifesto.pdf

The Liberal Democrats have long been the leading party on international development and party policy meets many of the demands set out in the Christian Aid manifesto.

We were the first party to commit to the 0.7% target on aid spending and we will meet that target by 2013. We remain committed to supporting an independent Department of International Development represented by a Secretary of State in the Cabinet.

Despite the feeble outcome at the Copenhagen climate summit we will continue to push for an international agreement which delivers the $160bn needed by developing countries to deal with climate change.

Liberal Democrats recognise the importance of improving taxation and transparency and tackling corruption in the developing world. In our recent policy paper, 'Development in a Downturn', we set out plans to reform international financing systems by cracking down on tax havens, improving transparency and tackling corruption - particularly by making it harder for western banks and financial institutions to facilitate that corruption.

Violent conflict is an everyday reality for millions of the world's most vulnerable people and it continues to hamper efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. We believe access to justice and security should be treated as rights in the same way as access to health and education. We support growing efforts by the Department of International Development to tackle the causes of conflict and help to establish post-conflict reconciliation. Aid money should not be used for arms or weaponry.

Apart from the simple humanity of it ending poverty, corruption and conflict in the developing world would be in the interests of richer nations. It would discourage mass migration, create new markets, and allow the stability needed to fight global warming. The short term interests of arms manufacturers and multi-national companies have been allowed to dominate government policy, and Christian Aid are right to point out how criminal this is.