In a speech at Chatham House on 27th April, UK Minister for International Development Andrew Mitchell MP laid out plans to revamp UK International Development. You can access the full speech here.
Mitchell confirmed priorities and visions for the UK Government that he had spoken of at the Alliance Spring Conference, that took place in Glasgow in March, and we are pleased to hear of an ambitious plan to improve public perception and support for development, as well as a commitment to improved partnership.
One such step towards an improvement in public support, as well as an attempt to reinvigorate the status of the UK Government as a leader in the development space, is the decision to rebrand from UK Aid to UK International Development.
Andrew Mitchell MP said:
“So today I launched a new brand to recognise the breadth of our work and collaboration that promises value for money to our taxpayers, reliability to our partners and friends around the world, and a commitment to help reach our global goals. UK International Development – UKDEV. We will continue to use the UK aid brand to badge our humanitarian work and we will continue to do so with sensitivity, especially in conflict zones.
But this new brand, UK International Development, will badge the Foreign Office’s work to use a diverse range of partnerships to advance development progress to build widely shared prosperity.”
This recognition of the importance of language is a step in the right direction for the UK Government, and one that aligns with the work that the Alliance is doing currently on language policy, however there remains more to be done, particularly in the humanitarian space.
(We also continue to question whether the term ‘international development’ is accurate or appropriate for our own work, but more to come on that soon!)
Mitchell went on to reiterate a renewed commitment to equitable partnership:
“Placing partnership at the heart of the UK’s offer shows that at its core, international development is not about charity, handouts and dependency. It is about listening to our partners and working together to secure shared objectives.”
We look forward to seeing how the UK Government honours these commitments and continues to support the sector and all those working in Scotland, and across the globe.
You may also be interested to read an exclusive interview between William Worley (Devex) and Andrew Mitchell MP (both of whom spoke at our Spring Conference in March) here.