Looking for a way out

Spurred by the need to help developing countries achieve MDG#8, the British Department for International Development (DfID), has prepared a white paper aimed at reducing world poverty over the next five years. According to the 2006 report published in the current issue of Drumbeat—the email and web network of the Communication Initiative—DfID pledges to increase its development budget to 0.7 per cent of the Gross national income by 2013 and to double funding for science and technology.

The report-Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance Work for the Poor -A White Paper on International Development—says partnership will be a key theme in establishing priorities for the distribution of such aid; DFID will work with the rest of UK Government, partner governments, international organisations, NGOs, and academics to fulfill promises made by G8 countries at the Gleneagles Summit in July 2005.

. The provision of overseas development assistance and debt relief are understood to be key in saving lives and supporting economic growth - as reflected in promises made by G8 countries at the Gleneagles Summit to provide an extra US$50 billion per year by 2010 and to double aid for Africa. Pledges made by DfID in this White Paper to increase its development budget to 0.7% of gross national income by 2013 and to double funding for science and technology are also a reflection of this emphasis.

However, the White Paper is also premised on the notion that - in the words of Secretary of State Hilary Benn - "long-term progress in the fight against poverty will only be achieved through effective government, and by people with the voice and confidence to hold their governments to account." Benn explains that governance at all levels (global down to village) "is about people and their relationships, one with another, more than it is about formal institutions. What makes the biggest difference to the quality of governance is active involvement by citizens.

For these and other reasons, DfID's work to address poverty in the next 5 years will involve putting governance at the centre of its assistance and programming. This process will include communication-centred components such as the following:
§ Building the state capacity of public institutions for responsiveness and accountability (the three key components of good governance) in developing countries, while doing more at the grassroots to reinforce the demand for good governance. A new £100 million Governance and Transparency Fund will support civil society, a free media, parliamentarians and trade unions in improving accountability.
§ Tackling corruption by taking steps to bring greater transparency into public revenues and procurement. In part, this will involve supporting "watch-dog agencies" in their efforts to provide more public information on local budgets (which, in Uganda and India, has reportedly reduced corruption by local government officials) .
§ Supporting efforts on the part of civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media to hold governments to account. "Grassroots organisations and the media play a vital role in generating public debate about corruption by campaigning against it. Newspapers and radio stations have led the demand for action in high profile corruption cases in countries such as India, Kenya and Zambia."
The final chapter of the white paper addresses UK citizens directly, encouraging them to get involved in efforts to understand how those in poverty live, and to take action.