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| Justine Greening: The days of ignoring poverty because it's far away are over | Justine Greening: The days of ignoring poverty because it's far away are over |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Ebola outbreak in west Africa, the Mediterranean migrant crisis and the enduring terror threat have shown prosperous countries that “the days of being able to simply ignore poverty around the other side of the world are over”, according to the international development secretary, Justine Greening. | |
| Greening, who was reappointed following May’s general election, said the international community needs to work harder to “level up” the world by investing more in development, opportunity and equality. | Greening, who was reappointed following May’s general election, said the international community needs to work harder to “level up” the world by investing more in development, opportunity and equality. |
| “We won’t really tackle some of those issues – whether it’s health security risks; broader terrorist security risks; whether it’s the migration that we’re seeing happen – unless we tackle root causes and the solution to all of that is to see development happening so that countries can take responsibility for their own security successfully,” she told the Guardian. | “We won’t really tackle some of those issues – whether it’s health security risks; broader terrorist security risks; whether it’s the migration that we’re seeing happen – unless we tackle root causes and the solution to all of that is to see development happening so that countries can take responsibility for their own security successfully,” she told the Guardian. |
| Related: Dear G7, it’s time to put girls and women at the top of your agenda | Related: Dear G7, it’s time to put girls and women at the top of your agenda |
| Greening said that while globalisation and technological advances had shrunk the world, they had also served to emphasise its vast economic gulfs. | Greening said that while globalisation and technological advances had shrunk the world, they had also served to emphasise its vast economic gulfs. |
| “Back in the 1980s when the Ethiopia famine hit, we could see people starving and we were shocked by it,” she said. | “Back in the 1980s when the Ethiopia famine hit, we could see people starving and we were shocked by it,” she said. |
| “But those people had no idea what the rest of the world was like – the prosperity and the lives that other people led. They do now and they’re asking themselves why shouldn’t they have the same opportunities and chances? They think about their children and ask, ‘Well, where do I want my children to be born?’” | “But those people had no idea what the rest of the world was like – the prosperity and the lives that other people led. They do now and they’re asking themselves why shouldn’t they have the same opportunities and chances? They think about their children and ask, ‘Well, where do I want my children to be born?’” |
| However, Greening also warned that development was about more than aid and trade, saying there could be no meaningful progress in any country unless the rights and prospects of women and girls were protected and improved. | However, Greening also warned that development was about more than aid and trade, saying there could be no meaningful progress in any country unless the rights and prospects of women and girls were protected and improved. |
| She described the focus of the Department for International Development (DfID) on women and girls as “relentless” and said she was determined to continue the department’s work on tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage over the next parliament – and in the negotiations over the sustainable development goals, which will replace the millennium development goals later this year. | She described the focus of the Department for International Development (DfID) on women and girls as “relentless” and said she was determined to continue the department’s work on tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage over the next parliament – and in the negotiations over the sustainable development goals, which will replace the millennium development goals later this year. |
| “I want us to dial up that work; I want us to see a new step-change in it to do even more, so that we can get that next strategic step of seeing the sustainable development goals having a standalone goal on gender that really makes a difference for women and girls around the world; that specifically tackles things like child marriage and violence against women,” she said. | “I want us to dial up that work; I want us to see a new step-change in it to do even more, so that we can get that next strategic step of seeing the sustainable development goals having a standalone goal on gender that really makes a difference for women and girls around the world; that specifically tackles things like child marriage and violence against women,” she said. |
| Greening said last year’s girl summit – and the passing of a bill compelling the government to consider the impact of its overseas aid spending on reducing gender inequality – were clear proof of the Conservatives’ commitment to women and girls. | Greening said last year’s girl summit – and the passing of a bill compelling the government to consider the impact of its overseas aid spending on reducing gender inequality – were clear proof of the Conservatives’ commitment to women and girls. |
| It's absolutely critical that women play their role in any country's development, whether it's Britain, Zambia or Nepal | It's absolutely critical that women play their role in any country's development, whether it's Britain, Zambia or Nepal |
| “I don’t think any country can sustainably develop if half the population are locked out,” she said. “You only have to look at Britain: would Britain be a more successful place if women weren’t in the workplace? No. it’s absolutely critical that women play their role in any country’s development – whether it’s Britain, Zambia or Nepal – if that country’s going to be successful.” | “I don’t think any country can sustainably develop if half the population are locked out,” she said. “You only have to look at Britain: would Britain be a more successful place if women weren’t in the workplace? No. it’s absolutely critical that women play their role in any country’s development – whether it’s Britain, Zambia or Nepal – if that country’s going to be successful.” |
| She pointed to India, where, she said, the fastest-growing states were those in which women were most likely to be economically active. | She pointed to India, where, she said, the fastest-growing states were those in which women were most likely to be economically active. |
| “Empowering women – whether it’s in terms of their having a voice in their community, having the choice to get an education or into a job, or having control over when they get married and how many children they have – all of that is absolutely vital for women’s rights but it’s also critical for successful development in the long term,” she said. | “Empowering women – whether it’s in terms of their having a voice in their community, having the choice to get an education or into a job, or having control over when they get married and how many children they have – all of that is absolutely vital for women’s rights but it’s also critical for successful development in the long term,” she said. |
| “There are people – there are countries – that would turn the clock back on women’s rights unless we continue winning this battle. My personal view is that if you’re not winning the battle in women’s rights, you’re losing it de facto, because there are those that will just nibble away to take things back.” | “There are people – there are countries – that would turn the clock back on women’s rights unless we continue winning this battle. My personal view is that if you’re not winning the battle in women’s rights, you’re losing it de facto, because there are those that will just nibble away to take things back.” |
| Greening is equally proud of parliament’s decision to enshrine in law the commitment to spend 0.7% of Britain’s gross national income on aid to poorer nations. | Greening is equally proud of parliament’s decision to enshrine in law the commitment to spend 0.7% of Britain’s gross national income on aid to poorer nations. |
| Related: EU draws fire for failing to set date for 0.7% aid target | Related: EU draws fire for failing to set date for 0.7% aid target |
| “The 0.7% commitment is a commitment that governments have had for years – for decades – and yet it was the coalition government I was part of that actually turned that promise into a reality and legislated for it as we in the Conservative party had promised in our manifesto,” she said. | “The 0.7% commitment is a commitment that governments have had for years – for decades – and yet it was the coalition government I was part of that actually turned that promise into a reality and legislated for it as we in the Conservative party had promised in our manifesto,” she said. |
| Asked whether the Tories could really claim credit for the 0.7% law when it had also been promised in the Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos – and only succeeded thanks to a backbench Lib Dem bill and heavy Labour turnout for the crucial vote – Greening replied: “Actually, it was MPs from all parties, and in the end, I’m still left looking at the 13 years before that [coalition] government and whether during the heyday of Gordon Brown’s boom years – which were unsustainable, it turned out – that opportunity was taken to deliver 0.7% then. And the answer is no.” | Asked whether the Tories could really claim credit for the 0.7% law when it had also been promised in the Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos – and only succeeded thanks to a backbench Lib Dem bill and heavy Labour turnout for the crucial vote – Greening replied: “Actually, it was MPs from all parties, and in the end, I’m still left looking at the 13 years before that [coalition] government and whether during the heyday of Gordon Brown’s boom years – which were unsustainable, it turned out – that opportunity was taken to deliver 0.7% then. And the answer is no.” |
| She said the coalition deserved recognition for hitting the 45-year old UN target during a time of severe economic hardship and said she hoped other developed countries would now join the UK, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark in achieving the goal. None of the other major EU countries – Germany, France, Italy and Spain – was close to reaching it last year. | She said the coalition deserved recognition for hitting the 45-year old UN target during a time of severe economic hardship and said she hoped other developed countries would now join the UK, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark in achieving the goal. None of the other major EU countries – Germany, France, Italy and Spain – was close to reaching it last year. |
| Although DfID has enjoyed a ringfenced budget at a time of deep cuts across Whitehall – allowing it to spend £11.4bn on aid last year – it has been criticised for failing to tackle corruption and for concentrating on headline-grabbing humanitarian aid operations rather than long-term development programmes. | Although DfID has enjoyed a ringfenced budget at a time of deep cuts across Whitehall – allowing it to spend £11.4bn on aid last year – it has been criticised for failing to tackle corruption and for concentrating on headline-grabbing humanitarian aid operations rather than long-term development programmes. |
| Greening acknowledged that corruption was a valid concern in some countries, but insisted that DfID operated a “total zero-tolerance” approach and deliberately entrusted taxpayers’ money to tried-and-tested partners including UN agencies and international NGOs such as the Red Cross and Save the Children. | Greening acknowledged that corruption was a valid concern in some countries, but insisted that DfID operated a “total zero-tolerance” approach and deliberately entrusted taxpayers’ money to tried-and-tested partners including UN agencies and international NGOs such as the Red Cross and Save the Children. |
| “Within the department, I’ve not only increased our internal audit department, I’ve also put more funding against the team that looks at counter-fraud and whistleblowing,” she said. | “Within the department, I’ve not only increased our internal audit department, I’ve also put more funding against the team that looks at counter-fraud and whistleblowing,” she said. |
| “So across the board, we have a zero-tolerance approach that has fed through into how we structure and operate and monitor our programmes – and I make no apology for spending money on monitoring and evaluation to make sure that every penny is not only getting through to where we want it to but is achieving the results that it’s meant to as well.” | “So across the board, we have a zero-tolerance approach that has fed through into how we structure and operate and monitor our programmes – and I make no apology for spending money on monitoring and evaluation to make sure that every penny is not only getting through to where we want it to but is achieving the results that it’s meant to as well.” |
| Related: Sustainable development won't happen without the means to implement it | Related: Sustainable development won't happen without the means to implement it |
| Greening conceded that it was always difficult to balance long-term development against the need to respond quickly – and generously – to humanitarian emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak and the earthquake in Nepal. | Greening conceded that it was always difficult to balance long-term development against the need to respond quickly – and generously – to humanitarian emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak and the earthquake in Nepal. |
| But she said it did not necessarily have to be one or the other, pointing to the investments DfID had made in helping Nepal improve its disaster resilience programmes, including funding the construction of a humanitarian staging area that sped up the distribution of supplies in the immediate aftermath of the quake. | But she said it did not necessarily have to be one or the other, pointing to the investments DfID had made in helping Nepal improve its disaster resilience programmes, including funding the construction of a humanitarian staging area that sped up the distribution of supplies in the immediate aftermath of the quake. |
| Greening said the Ebola crisis had highlighted the need to invest in strengthening health systems in a number of African countries to help safeguard them from future epidemics. | Greening said the Ebola crisis had highlighted the need to invest in strengthening health systems in a number of African countries to help safeguard them from future epidemics. |
| “I think it’s about framing it not in either/or,” she said. “But, at the end of the day, like every department, I’ve got to find that budget and I’ve got to work within that and try to strike the right balance between dealing with these quite short-term crises but also not losing the momentum that we’ve got on the underlying development programmes that are going on.” | “I think it’s about framing it not in either/or,” she said. “But, at the end of the day, like every department, I’ve got to find that budget and I’ve got to work within that and try to strike the right balance between dealing with these quite short-term crises but also not losing the momentum that we’ve got on the underlying development programmes that are going on.” |
| She counselled against the tendency to view humanitarian and operations and development ones as two separate processes. Look at the conflict in Syria, she said, which has driven millions of people to flee to neighbouring countries where they live in host communities and refugee camps and ponder their children’s futures. | She counselled against the tendency to view humanitarian and operations and development ones as two separate processes. Look at the conflict in Syria, she said, which has driven millions of people to flee to neighbouring countries where they live in host communities and refugee camps and ponder their children’s futures. |
| “That’s why investing in education is so important, because we should not just expect those children to be able to go back to Syria and go back to [the] classroom,” she said. “Obviously, that’s not going to happen. One of the biggest challenges that we face as a development and humanitarian community is how to work out how you deal with those medium-term crises that are ongoing, not fixed overnight.” | “That’s why investing in education is so important, because we should not just expect those children to be able to go back to Syria and go back to [the] classroom,” she said. “Obviously, that’s not going to happen. One of the biggest challenges that we face as a development and humanitarian community is how to work out how you deal with those medium-term crises that are ongoing, not fixed overnight.” |
| Development is part of the solution to a lot of the security issues that we face | Development is part of the solution to a lot of the security issues that we face |
| Greening is adamant that DfID has an increasingly important role to play in international affairs – as evidenced by her seat on the national security council. | Greening is adamant that DfID has an increasingly important role to play in international affairs – as evidenced by her seat on the national security council. |
| “We do need to understand that development is part of the solution to a lot of the security issues that we face, whether it’s terrorism and the work we have done in Afghanistan, or whether it’s Ebola and the clear health security risk that that posed to the UK – and indeed to millions of people living in Africa who could quite possibly have been affected if we hadn’t stepped up to the plate.” | “We do need to understand that development is part of the solution to a lot of the security issues that we face, whether it’s terrorism and the work we have done in Afghanistan, or whether it’s Ebola and the clear health security risk that that posed to the UK – and indeed to millions of people living in Africa who could quite possibly have been affected if we hadn’t stepped up to the plate.” |
| On the migrant issue, she acknowledged that there was a big debate around appropriate short-term measures to deal with “what is a very, very complex situation”. “But there is no doubt that the work that we’re doing on development is ultimately how you tackle some of the root causes of why those people are doing something that so many people in Britain never think of doing, which is leaving their homes, their family, everything, risking their lives – knowing that they are risking their lives – to try to get to somewhere better, somewhere that’s safe.” | On the migrant issue, she acknowledged that there was a big debate around appropriate short-term measures to deal with “what is a very, very complex situation”. “But there is no doubt that the work that we’re doing on development is ultimately how you tackle some of the root causes of why those people are doing something that so many people in Britain never think of doing, which is leaving their homes, their family, everything, risking their lives – knowing that they are risking their lives – to try to get to somewhere better, somewhere that’s safe.” |
| Greening holds up the swelling of DfID’s ministerial ranks as further evidence of the department’s relevance. Following the election, Grant Shapps was sacked as Tory party chairman and moved to DfID in the lesser role of minister of state. | Greening holds up the swelling of DfID’s ministerial ranks as further evidence of the department’s relevance. Following the election, Grant Shapps was sacked as Tory party chairman and moved to DfID in the lesser role of minister of state. |
| Less than a month before the election, Shapps had been accused of editing the Wikipedia entries of his Conservative rivals – including Greening. He denied the allegations, labelling them “untrue from start to finish”. | Less than a month before the election, Shapps had been accused of editing the Wikipedia entries of his Conservative rivals – including Greening. He denied the allegations, labelling them “untrue from start to finish”. |
| Asked what Shapps would bring to DfID, Greening described him as “a fantastic communicator”, adding: “What it means is that we have a bigger team: we now have two ministers of state, we have a parliamentary undersecretary and I think that shows the importance as a government that we place on international development now.” | Asked what Shapps would bring to DfID, Greening described him as “a fantastic communicator”, adding: “What it means is that we have a bigger team: we now have two ministers of state, we have a parliamentary undersecretary and I think that shows the importance as a government that we place on international development now.” |
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