Author: Sir Stephen O’Brien KBE

The confirmation this week of Samantha Power as US Aid Administrator is the clearest example so far of President Biden’s renewed commitment to the international community and his determination to rebuild the relationships and responsibilities that became strained under the previous administration. Couple this with the already confirmed excellent choice of Linda Thomas-Greenfield as US Permanent representative to the UN, whose work in Africa especially was impressive and inspiring in previous roles, and we can see the clear intent of the new US Administration to return to a multi-lateralist approach to deploy its policies, action and thought leadership to match its financial leadership that underpins the multilateral system. The actions of USAid and UKAid in partnering with countries through their aid and development programmes to meet those with the greatest needs represent the best of the values we share as global citizens to enable everyone to have the chance to survive and thrive. Whilst the greatest needs of affected people by far now arise because of the seemingly unending man-made conflicts around the globe, as well as natural disasters, well-targeted and designed humanitarian and development aid (for which the UK and the US have well-earned respect as technical leaders globally) reinforce the powerful forces for good to give renewed hope of a more peace-orientated and secure world for us all.

The nomination of a US Aid Administrator does not often make news, not least in the UK. But this is no normal appointment. A Pulitzer prize winner and former US Permanent Representative to the UN, Power’s appointment means humanitarian and emergency response in natural disasters but crucially in helping to meet the even greater critical civilian needs brought on by conflict, with a clear-sighted consistent resilience and development approach, will be integral to US foreign policy, alongside diplomacy, security and defence. Power’s elevation to a seat on the National Security Council further strengthens this renewed focus on the intersection of development and defence. Throughout my years in the United Nations as Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs & Emergency Relief Coordinator, I worked alongside Samantha Power during her tenure as US Permanent representative to the United Nations. There are few who are better qualified to ensure aid and development remain a central pillar of US foreign policy, not least because of her lifelong vocal advocacy of the values and principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I have no doubt that Power will continue (as she has already been showing in the Tweets she has posted since the announcement of her new position and the Confirmation) to maintain her courageous and unwavering commitment to putting Human Rights at the centre of all her decisions and actions at USAid.

On the world stage, I have seen some of the incredible work that UK aid and international cooperation can do for the world’s most vulnerable people. The UK’s response to the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015 was a great example of Britain at its best, putting our world class NHS workers and armed forces personnel to the task of fighting a disease that was taking thousands of lives and setting development back years. This was praised by Samantha Power who used UK and US leadership to criticise other countries who weren’t contributing to the efforts, and to encourage them to join the efforts to tackle Ebola: "You have countries at the UN where I work every day who are signing on to resolutions and praising the good work that the US and the UK and others are doing, but they themselves haven't taken the responsibility yet to send docs, to send beds, to send the reasonable amount of money."

Britain is an international development super power. We enjoy a deserved reputation for being both prepared, and able, to help those who need it most. To build on this reputation there is a strong case to be made for a Minister within the new FCDO, to both lead on development within the new department, and to sit, like Power in the US, on the UK Security Council. This would further demonstrate the UK’s commitment to aid, strengthen the Global Britain strategy, and mean that humanitarian and development assistance, conflict resolution and prevention, and peacekeeping remain a key consideration for policy makers – all the priorities which were clearly stated and committed to at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016, and pursued under the Agenda for Humanity.

Defence, trade and aid are three pillars of the Global Britain strategy that must work together and be given the same priority if we are to see this vision become reality. An excellent example of this can be found in South Korea - where investment through aid helped transform a region into a vibrant trading partner and key ally. South Korea, a former aid recipient, has become a high-income country, providing jobs, investment and trade for the UK. Last year the UK traded £7.2bn worth of goods and services with South Korea, making them one of our top trading partners in East Asia. Aid and trade are not mutually exclusive but in fact two sides of the same coin.

Notwithstanding the severe fiscal constraints the UK (and most other economies globally) face due to the Covid19 pandemic, in this year of UK leadership ahead of the G7 in Cornwall, and COP26 in Glasgow, the UK has an opportunity to showcase its international development expertise, commitment and predictability. I welcome the Prime Minister’s restated commitment that the UK will return to spending 0.7% of its Gross National Income each year as soon as possible. It is in all our interests to do so to enhance our security, economy, public health and meeting the climate change challenge – none of these issues respect borders, so we need to reinforce the collaboration necessary to match the challenges. By working alongside the Biden Administration, and particularly Samantha Power at USAID, the UK can help the world to build back better and greener from COVID19.

This article was first published by Arab News.