How Britain Can Stay Relevant on the World Stage

Author: Alistair Burt, Former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2017-2019)

When the Prime Minister announced the merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in June, he called it a chance to boost the UK’s impact on the world stage. As we get closer to the September 1st start date for the new department, in a post-Covid and soon to be post-Brexit world, the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will be crucial in amplifying our international influence. But to achieve this, it must retain the qualities of DfID which helped to cement the UK’s prestige as an international development superpower. UK aid must remain central to the FCDO’s future programme.

The events of 2020 have revealed the need for a clear-headed UK presence on the international stage. The £20 million of support announced by the Government to assist with the crisis in Beirut was a clear demonstration of our national values — we are an outward-looking nation, and we stand with those in need. But as well as responding, we must anticipate. In the face of hostile states, a growing and increasingly urgent climate crisis and the risk of further deadly pandemics, we must be prepared to contend with the challenges ahead.

An effective foreign policy will be vital. But the Government should not lose sight of the role that development plays in cementing our soft superpower status and our ability to influence on global affairs. As Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Development, I saw how our development work opens doors to the highest diplomatic tables. And if two decades of running DfID, one of the world’s most successful distributors of aid, has taught us anything, it is that when we work to make the world a safer, stronger, more prosperous place, we also stand up for Britain’s interests.

The global system is experiencing profound geopolitical change, and our development programmes are helping to keep the world safe. As oversight of development aid moves to the FCDO, it must continue to inform our strategy for countering authoritarianism, terrorism and human rights abuses. Through the Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund, we’ve worked across Ukraine to detonate landmines, halving the number of mine casualties in the country. Through organisations such as the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Global Partners Governance, we’ve helped strengthen democratic systems across Nepal, Gambia, and states in the Middle East and North Africa. It will be vital that we preserve this expertise.

Through our aid budget we are advancing education, healthcare and jobs worldwide. We have tackled Ebola in Sierra Leone, prevented drug trafficking in Tanzania, and trained Lebanese forces to fight Daesh. By supporting developing countries to leapfrog fossil fuels, UK aid is helping to curb global emissions. This doesn’t just make the countries we help stronger. It also prevents disease, extremism and environmental disaster from landing on Britain’s shores, keeping us strong too. The new FCDO must make the public case for why it’s in our national interest to confront global challenges at their root causes.

It is for this reason that we must also keep aid spending focused on poverty elimination. Not only is it the moral thing to do, but it is also benefiting the lives of millions in Britain and beyond by helping to drive prosperity worldwide. Our departure from the EU requires us to alter and hopefully deepen our trade relationships with other parts of the world. British trade and investment through aid is already supporting the empowerment of countries to stand on their own two feet, creating jobs, free trade and investment opportunities. In turn, this advantages the UK too, helping us foster long-term partnerships worldwide.

It will be crucial to ensure that money is spent as effectively as possible. This is especially important as the coming recession hits and families are forced to tighten their purse strings. The Government can show they take public finances seriously by appointing a new Chief Secretary, who is also a member of the Cabinet, to oversee the aid budget. Retaining the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), and a significant Select Committee are other vital steps to maintaining proper scrutiny and building public confidence.

The world right now is changing and volatile, and will only become more so. A re-energised FCDO can help fulfill the Prime Minister’s vision of a strengthened Global Britain, boosting our impact and influence on the world stage. Continued leadership in international development will be vital to making a success of this, ensuring a safer, stronger and more prosperous society for us all.

Originally posted on The Article https://www.thearticle.com/how-britain-can-stay-relevant-on-the-world-stage