MARCH / APRIL 2005: UK GOVERNMENT NEWS REPORTJICA UK OFFICE
Sources:- Department for International Development (DFID) website: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/- Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website: http://www.fco.gov.uk/- HM Treasury website: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/- 10 Downing Street website (PM’s speeches): http://www.number-10.gov.uk/

Note: There were limited speeches and news items in April due to campaigning for the General
Election that took place on 5 May 2005.

SPEECHES 4 April 2005
Statement on elections in Zimbabwe
Jack Straw, House of Commons, London
Elections were held in Zimbabwe on Thursday 31 March but there is strong evidence that theresults do not reflect the free democratic will of the Zimbabwean people. The report of theCommission for Africa set out the need for stronger action by the international community toaddress Africa's problems. But the Commission also made it clear how much bad governance has'blighted' parts of Africa, and frustrated people’s hopes of building for themselves a better andmore prosperous future. There is tragically no more powerful example of that than the situation in
Zimbabwe. I am surprised and saddened that Zimbabwe’s neighbours have chosen to ignore theobvious and serious flaws in these elections and have declared them fair.
The EU's common position on Zimbabwe is the strongest on any country in Africa - and includes
targeted sanctions against the Government of Zimbabwe and an arms embargo. Meanwhile, theUK is committed to doing all it can to help to meet the humanitarian needs of the Zimbabwean
population by donating over £71 million in food aid since September 2001 and contributing £26.5
million to efforts by NGOs to tackle the AIDS epidemic now affecting one in four Zimbabweans.
 22 March 2005
Towards the Summit: the path to larger freedom
Bill Rammell, Foreign Office Minister at the UK Mission to the United Nations, New York, USA
This is an opportunity to make some comments on the Secretary-General’s recent report ‘In
Larger Freedom’ as we look towards the September Millennium Review Summit. There are threebroad themes:
1. Freedom from want
Under current progress the MDGs will not be achieved. There cannot be a successful
outcome to the Summit unless it includes an agreement to turn things round and to moveback towards the MDGs with meaningful commitments from donor countries and developing
countries alike. This must include bankable commitments by the donors to increase the flowof ODA significantly. The Secretary-General's recommendations on debt, and on duty-freeaccess for all exports from LDCs are challenging but the British government is committed to a
successful outcome to the development round of multilateral trade talks launched in Doha.
The Secretary-General's ideas for a green revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa, for a global
effort on R and D for the poor, for a more inclusive international framework beyond 2012, andfor measures to deal with natural disasters and to revise the international health regulations
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of the WHO should all be taken very seriously by donor and developing countries alike.
2.
Freedom from fear
Fighting freedom is not just a Western agenda. There have been many more victims ofterrorism in the developing countries than in the West. The recommendation on theestablishment of a peacebuilding commission is extremely important. We have not always
been perfect in managing conflict through military operations and/or peacekeeping
operations. But our record has been reasonable, whereas in the next phase - post-conflict
peacebuilding - the international community's effort has usually been less good. Partly this isdue to a lack of co-ordination between the various international bodies (and bilateral donors)
involved. Partly it has been the lack of a political imperative, when the ‘CNN factor’ has fadedaway as a particular conflict drifts from the headlines. A peacebuilding commission would
have a very important co-ordinating role to fulfil but also help to keep the international
community hands on a crisis when the immediate conflict had passed; to negate the CNN
effect; and to bring together the funds and programmes, the IFIs and the Security Council
when necessary.
3.
Freedom to live in dignity
The Secretary-General's boldest recommendation is about the responsibility to protect. He
also sets out carefully an approach to decisions on the use of force, on the basis ofguidelines recommended by the High-Level Panel. We welcome what the Secretary-General
has to say about the ratification and implementation of the treaties dealing with the protectionof civilians. I hope that it will be possible for everybody to welcome a more active role for theHigh Commissioner for Human Rights in the Security Council, the peacebuilding commission
if it is set up, and in other bodies dealing with conflicts. We also welcome the idea of ademocracy fund.
The final section of the Secretary-General's report is on institutional reform. I do not believe thatany outcome from the Summit will be satisfactory unless it includes a substantial package of UN
reform – including strengthening the transparency, accountability and effectiveness of theSecretariat. Security Council reform is an important, but inevitably a potentially divisive issue. Like
all of us, the Secretary-General hopes for consensus. But, like all of us, he is realistic enough torecognise that that will probably not be possible. It would be a tragedy if this issue were toovershadow the Summit and prevent a consensus on the core agenda. We should take fully into
account the Secretary-General’s proposal that the General Assembly take a decision in advanceof the Summit.
 22 March 2005
Water for Life
Hilary Benn at the Royal Geographic Society, London, at a one day conference on World Water
Day
Even though today is World Water Day it seems that there are very definitely two worlds when it
comes to access to water. In the UK people take water for granted but on my visits to Africa manypoor have told me that their priority for change is water. A lack of safe water increases the burden
on pregnant women who carry the water for the household, and poor sanitation and hygiene
increase the burden of disease for pregnant women. A lack of water at childbirth increases infantmortality. Children die because of dirty water. Mothers with HIV/AIDS are encouraged to use
formula milk, but if the water is dirty their children will suffer from diarrhea that is frequently fatal.
Children, especially girls, do not go to school because of the need to fetch and carry water.
We are very far from reaching the water and sanitation MDGs: if we are to achieve the targets,
175,000 people need to gain access to safe water and 350,000 people to basic sanitation every
day between now and 2015. That’s almost the number of people who live in Luxembourg – itmeans connecting up the equivalent of a Luxembourg to water and sewerage every single day forthe next 10 years. The task is enormous.
There are three main reasons why we are not on target:
1. The problem of funding2

Spending on water and sanitation has declined – both by donors and it seems by developing
country governments. If you look at the years 1999 to 2002, global assistance fell by 14% largely attributable to the largest donor, Japan, cutting its funds by nearly two-thirds.
Reasons for this are a shift in focus by donors to the social sectors and PRSPs that have
limited focus on water and sanitation.
2. The role of the private sector
It was hoped that businesses could help solve the problem but in Africa, the stories ofinternational companies going into the water market and then promptly leaving it are many.
Indigenous companies, on the other hand, simply don’t have the capacity to do the job.
3. ‘Governance’ in the sector – its structure and management
Water is often best handled at the local level with the communities themselves planning,
operating and managing water schemes. But communities are not managing these budgets,and nor are they then making proper demands of the people above them.
DFID – like the rest of the international community – has not done nearly enough to turn the
demands of the poor for better water and sanitation into reality on the ground. And although there
are still more people without decent water and sanitation in Asia, there has at least been progressin that continent. It is in Africa where the water MDG is badly off-track in several countries, and thesanitation MDG off track in almost all. DFID will therefore double its funding (both bilateral andmultilateral) for improvements in water and sanitation in Africa over the next three years; up from
£47.5 million this year to £95 million in 2007/08.
There are four countries in Africa which are most off-track with the water and sanitation MDGs: theDRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sudan. Here, we’ll also look at seconding people in to boost capacity
in governments, and we’ll try to find quick ways of boosting spending on water and sanitation.
DFID cannot fix water and sanitation alone. The EU and World Bank are important partner
agencies where DFID has a say and it will push them to do more.
 14 March 2005
Oral Statement by Hilary Benn to Parliament on the Commission for Africa"African poverty and stagnation is the greatest tragedy of our time" is the conclusion of theCommission for Africa's report, published on 11 March.
The report is painfully honest. It tells the truth about the corrosive effects of corruption and conflictin Africa. It tells the truth about the things that Africa needs to change. It is equally honest about
the past broken promises of rich countries and about the things that we must now do. It also
recognises, however, that there are signs of hope: more democracy in Africa than before; moregovernments now trying to do the right thing by their people; there are fewer conflicts. In somecountries, economies are now growing strongly for the first time in years, and poor people arebeing lifted out of poverty. And best of all, Africans are taking responsibility for Africa, with the
African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development—NEPAD—having set out thecontinent's vision of its own future.
The report is clear that more ad hoc initiatives are not the answer. It sets out a comprehensive
plan of action for implementation by Africa and by the rest of the world. Aid to Africa should be
doubled and made more reliable. The international finance facility should be launched immediately.
For poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which need it, there should be 100 per cent debt service
cancellation as soon as possible.
The future of Africa lies in the hands of its people and Governments but rich countries need to stop
holding Africa back. We must make the international trade system fairer and end the damage thatexport subsidies are doing, while Africa increases its own capacity to trade. To do that, and toincrease economic growth, Africa needs major investment in infrastructure. Leaving it to theprivate sector alone has not worked, so the report recommends a new $10 billion dollar a year
infrastructure fund, alongside proposals to improve the investment climate in Africa and to boost
agriculture.
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Finally, the report recommends support for the African Union's new leadership in peace andsecurity and for Africa's increasingly important regional institutions, and it proposes a newmonitoring mechanism to hold the world to account for implementing what the report tells us needs
to be done.
The UK government is committed to playing their part in responding to the report. We have alreadyset out a timetable to reach the United Nations 0.7 per cent aid target, and we are leading theworld with the Chancellor's proposals on the international finance facility and on multilateral debt
relief. We are on course to double aid to Africa by 2010, and we will need to do more to support
good governance and tackle corruption.
This is not a report, however, to the UK alone; it is a report to all of us. The Prime Minister iscommitted to putting the commission's recommendations before our G8 colleagues and to doing
so with determination.
Most important of all, this report shows us that something can be done. It tells us how, and what it
will cost. We—this generation—can no longer claim that we did not know about the condition of
Africa or what to do to help it to change its future. Our challenge now is to do it. If we fail to act, as
Africans or as the rest of the world, those who will come after us will ask how it was that people
who were so aware of the suffering and so capable of responding chose to look away. If, however,
we do act, we will help to build a safer, more secure and more just world. The choice is ours, and it
is by the decisions that we make that we will be judged.
CFA Report Executive Summary (English):http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/cfa-executivesummary.pdf
CFA Full Report (English):http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/thereport/english/11-03-05_cr_report.pdf
CFA website: http://www.commissionforafrica.org/
 14 March 2005
Sustainable development: a global challenge which affects us all
Jack Straw, Foreign Minister, at the launch of the FCO Sustainable Development
Strategy, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London
The FCO Sustainable Development Strategy is being launched today. Sustainable development isa global challenge which affects us all: threats such as climate change, pollution and the depletionof natural resources cross international boundaries. Furthermore, deforestation, the spread ofdeserts or the over-use of natural resources deprive local people of their livelihoods, and fuel thepoverty and despair which contribute to wider insecurity.
We will promote sustainable development through the UK's Presidency of the EU and G8 this year,with a particular focus on Africa and climate change. G8 countries account for almost two-thirds ofworld GDP and almost one-half of all emissions of greenhouse gases, so this is a crucial forum foraction. We are also working to strengthen the UN Environment Programme and to support thereformed work programme of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
In Europe, this year sees the start of the EU emissions trading scheme, which we want to extend
to aircraft emissions. We also want to ensure that the revised EU sustainable development
strategy acts as a catalyst for integrating sustainable development into all EU policy. We are also
seeking support for international action on climate change beyond 2012, when the current Kyoto
protocol commitment period ends.
Lastly, I'm delighted to say that we are doing a good deal to put the FCO's own house in order. Our
paper, furniture and many office materials are now recycled or re-used. The FCO building runs
entirely on electricity from renewable sources and from next month, we will be conducting an auditof air travel so as to introduce full carbon offsetting by April 2006. This means that for every flight4

taken by a Foreign Office Minister or official, we will fund projects such as reforestation to absorb
the amount of carbon dioxide emitted.
 11 March 2005
Remarks by Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer at the launch of the Commission
for Africa report, the British Museum, London
Africa is a continent ripe for progress - at a moment of opportunity but tragically weighed down by
poverty, illiteracy and disease; by the burden of unpayable debts inherited from the past; and now
in danger of being failed by millennium promises made but not delivered.
When I visited Africa earlier in the year, everywhere I travelled I saw not only the potential andpromise for the economic and social growth of Africa but also mothers paid only five pounds aweek begging for free education for their children; supporters of AIDS orphans asking only thatthey have free health care; and men and women everywhere with a yearning that their growing
political and constitutional rights now be matched by economic and social opportunities.
At the heart of the new partnership for action set out in the CFA report is our new deal for Africa indebt relief, fair trade and new investment. We say in our report that justice promised will forever bejustice denied until we remove from this generation the burden of debts incurred by past
generations. This is the first official report to call for a lasting deep seated trade justice that would
mean that Europe and the richest countries be honest about and address the scale of the waste
and scandal of agricultural protectionism, unfair rules of origin and much criticised economic
partnership agreements and address infrastructure needs – transport, power, water,
telecommunications and then technical and vocational skills – to build the capacity Africancountries need to trade.
The Commission and G8 will be judged, though, not by this report alone, but most of all by ourendeavours in the next few months.This message and manifesto from this Commission for Africa,
the call for justice for Africa – must now be heard at the IMF and World Bank meetings at Easter;at the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July; at the United Nations special summit in New York in
September; and at the World Trade talks in Hong Kong in December.
This year, now, urgently. No longer evading, no longer procrastinating, no more excuses. But
endeavours which by making change happen this year, can make real the vision of this report ofjustice on a global scale.
 11 March 2005
Remarks by Tony Blair at the launch of the Commission for Africa report, the British Museum,London.
There can be no excuse, no defence, no justification for the plight of millions of our fellow humanbeings in Africa today. There should be nothing that stands in the way of our changing it. That is
the simple message from the Commission for Africa report published today.
Africa can change for the better. The report shows how. The issue is: do we, together, in Africa
and amongst the wealthy nations of our world, have the will? The moral reason is clear. There isalso a a common interest to get it done for, as the report demonstrates, to tackle the instability,
conflict and despair which disfigures too much of Africa and which can fuel extremism andviolence, is to help build our own long-term peace and prosperity.
It can be done. Forty years ago, Asia was the poorest continent on the planet - twice as poor as
Africa. Today, it is the fastest growing continent on the planet and twice as rich as Africa. The storyof the report is therefore not one of blame or gloom but of optimism.

5

The report sets out a comprehensive plan of action and is a report with a mission. The report itself
is only a first step - it is nothing if we don't use it to achieve change. In it we propose amechanism to monitor its implementation year by year. I will be asking world leaders, at the G8
Summit in Gleneagles in July, in Europe, at the UN Summit in September and at the WTO in Hong
Kong in December, to back this comprehensive report with action. I will also be asking them tolisten to all our citizens. Millions across the world are now campaigning to Make Poverty History.
Millions in the UK today will support Comic Relief. They are demanding that we act for Africa. If wefail to act, we will betray the future not just of hundreds of millions of children in Africa but that ofour own children as well. It is unthinkable that we should do so.
 9 March 2005
Making science and technology work for the poor
Hilary Benn, at the Smith Institute in London
Science and technology are vital for development, and vital for our fight against world poverty.
New drugs and medicines; new crops: for centuries we have seen them transforming both lives
and livelihoods. Science & technology works; science & technology saves lives. For this reason
we will increase our Central Research Department spending by 58% over the next three years –from £86 million last year to £136 million in 2007/8. That’s an extra £50 million per year.
Four key areas will get the bulk of the funding:
1. Sustainable agriculture, especially in Africa
2. Killer diseases
3. Climate change
4. What do we do when the state doesn’t work in the interests of the poor – what reforms
work, and what others can do
To find answers - and crucially to get them applied –we have to think big. For science, this requires
a new combined approach – one based on partnership:•Partnership that works right across the board in the UK public sector•
Partnership that works across international boundaries•
Partnership that works between developed and developing country scientists•
Partnership that works with the private sector

PRESS RELEASES
 1 April 2005
The UK’s annual contribution to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) will
increase by 25% to £15 million provided over the next two years. The money will help fundessential family planning advice and sexual and reproductive health services to women, men andyoung people living in some of the poorest parts of the world. The UK is now the second largest
donor to IPPF.
 24 March 2005
DFID pledged £5m to help fund the work of the Stop TB Partnership over the next three years.
This is more than double the support given over the previous three-year period, and makes DFID
the third biggest donor to Stop TB.
 22 March 2005
The UK is to double its funding for water and sanitation in Africa over the next three years,
increasing from £47.5m this year to £95m in 2007/8. Immediate action will also be taken to help
the 11 African countries where the problem is most acute: Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sudan.

6 17 March 2005
The UK government today announced that it will no longer give aid to support Nepal’s police,prison services and the Prime Minister’s office following the King’s dismissal of thegovernment in February.
A total of £2.4 million had been committed but £1.3 million remains unspent and will now becancelled.
 17 March 2005
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) conference held in London agreed aset of criteria that all countries need to meet to increase transparency in oil, gas and mining
revenues:•
publication and reconciliation of payments and revenues;•
independent audits;•
extending the approach to all companies;•
engaging with civil society;•and a costed timetable for implementation.
Experience in the four countries that have piloted EITI – Azerbaijan, Ghana, the Kyrgyz Republic,
and Nigeria shows that while different countries have taken different approaches toimplementation, this needs to be backed up by clear international rules of the game for the
initiative to be effective and credible.
 14 March 2005
The South Atlantic island of St Helena, which is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in theworld, will get its own international airport. DFID will provide funding following an internationaltendering process. UK assistance to St Helena (pop 3900) is currently about £13 million per year.
This includes budgetary support to meet essential public services and to subsidise the island’s
dedicated shipping service.
 2 March 2005
New policy paper: ‘Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: rethinking conditionality’. In thisDFID states that it will not in future make its aid conditional on specific policy decisions by partner
governments or attempt to impose policy choices on them, including in sensitive economic areas
such as privatisation or trade liberalisation. Instead, the UK Government will agree benchmarks
with partner countries which look at the impact of the decisions they take on reducing poverty andimprovements in health and education.
The paper outlines changes in four key areas:•
Developing country ownership•
Aid predictability•
Mutual accountability between donors and recipients•
Harmonisation
New policy paper: ‘Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: rethinking conditionality’:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/conditionality.pdf
 1 March 2005
A new development package worth approximately £236 million (27 billion Pakistan Rupees) will
be provided to Pakistan over the next three years. Plans for the funds are set out in the new
Country Assistance Plan for Pakistan. Key aims are to:•improve education and health services,•increase incomes of the poor,•and encouraging greater accountability of the government to its citizens.
Country Assistance Plan for Pakistan: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/cappakistan.pdf

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NEWS
 27 April 2005
Launch of the ‘Blue Book - DFID's Essential Guide to Rules and Tools’ that sets out core
information about how to do things in DFID most staff are expected to know. It covers rules
governing key corporate activities including programme management, finance, people
management, security, IT and propriety. It will later be supported by further work bringing together
best practice from DFID and other agencies. Compliance is tested through audit processes andDirectors must provide an assurance each year to the Management Board that their Divisions areoperating according to the rules set out in the Blue Book.
Blue Book: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/blue-book.pdf
 19 April 2005
Launch of new working paper: ‘Banking the Underserved: New Opportunities forCommercial Banks’. The paper explores whether commercial banks can provide useful financial
services to the poor and make money. Cases presented:•
Sogebank/ Sogesol, Haiti•
Banco Wiese Sudameris, Peru•
Hatton National Bank, Sri Lanka•
Stanbic Bank, Uganda•
Khan Bank, Mongolia•
Capitec Bank, South Africa
Banking the Underserved: New Opportunities for Commercial Banks working paper:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/banking-undeserved.pdf
 5 April 2005
UK-based humanitarian de-mining specialists Disarmco have teamed up with ordnance andexplosives experts at Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Oxfordshire and developed the next
generation of anti-land mine device. DFID has sponsored the development of this product withapprox £500,000 over the last two years. The project looked at the development of a system for
destroying mines once found. There were two aims. One was to find a cheap and simple
mechanism for destruction itself. Dragon, which is a fiercely burning torch will cause it to detonate
and render it harmless. The second aim was for this device to be capable of manufacture in themine affected country using ingredients that in themselves are not dangerous.
 5 April 2005
The UK will write off over £6 million of debt owed by Jamaica in 2005. Under the
Commonwealth Debt Initiative (CDI), DFID will forgo the debt to allow the Jamaican Government
to spend the money it will save on improving essential services, and to continue to make progress
towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Between 1998 and 2004, DFID has
written-off £39.2million of Jamaican debt and current contributions of £2.5 million every year are
made to help the poorest.
 1 April 2005
Release of second DFID Institutional Strategy (IS) with the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) covering the period 2004/05 to 2007/08. It focuses on DFID’s relationship and priorities
with UNFPA and sets out how the partnership can be maximised to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals – particularly those relating to health and poverty, reproductive health andHIV and AIDS.
UNFPA Institutional Strategy: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/unfpa-institutional-strategy.pdf
 31 March 2005
Launch of new working paper: ‘Sending Money Home’ – the first UK survey of moneytransfer products to developing countries for use by the diaspora in the UK. The survey focusedon six countries: Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Kenya and Nigeria. The aim is for remittances
to contribute more effectively to international development.
8

Sending Money Home working paper summary:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/sendmoney-summary.pdf
Sending Money Home full report: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/sendmoneyhome.pdf
Website: www.sendmoneyhome.org
 24 March 2005
Launch of working paper: ‘Do Credit Guarantees lead to Improved Access to Financial
Service?’ Drawing from recent evidence from Chile, Egypt, India and Poland, the paper explores
whether Credit Guarantees Schemes (CGS) result in sustainable changes in the behaviour oflenders towards markets to which CGS introduce them. The key conclusion is that CGS serve as
accelerators, not drivers, of financial sector deepening.
Working paper Do Credit Guarantees lead to Improved Access to Financial Service?
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/creditfinancepolicyreport.pdf
 21 March 2005
The first-ever meeting of G8 Environment and Development Ministers was held in Derbyshire
under the UK Government’s Presidency of the Group of Eight Countries.
On the impact of climate change on Africa, Ministers:•
noted that African countries are particularly vulnerable to climate variability and climatechange•discussed the urgent need to assist Africa to reduce vulnerability•
committed to supporting the need for an effective international response to build scientificcapacity and integrate measures to address the impact of climate change in international
development assistance and national development plans.
The UK announced a commitment of a further £100K towards regional predictions of climatechange for Africa and £400K over the next three years towards a new multi-country initiativeon advancing knowledge, capacity and networks in support of climate change in Africa.
On illegal logging, Ministers agreed to tackle both the supply of and demand for illegal timber by:•taking steps to halt the import and marketing of illegally logged timber•doing more to support developing countries’ own efforts to enforce forest law and improvegovernance•ensuring government procurement does not contribute to the problem of illegal logging•
reviewing progress on these commitments next year 3 March 2005
DFID announced £10 Million contribution to Palestinian Authority to help it improve the lives of
its people. The funds will be provided directly to the Palestinian Authority’s budget through theWorld Bank-led Financial Management Reform Trust Fund. This £10 million will bring total UK
financial assistance to the Palestinians this year to £61 million.

9