100 UK NGO leaders call on Prime Minister to address global drivers of inequality and poverty for people in the UK and abroad

100 CEOs from Oxfam GB, WaterAid, ActionAid UK and more have issued a joint statement to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, urging him to address global issues that drive inequality and poverty for both people in the UK and abroad, instead of pitting their needs against each other.

Today, Tuesday 28^th July, 100 UK INGO leaders, including from Oxfam GB, Debt Justice, WaterAid, ActionAid UK, Bond, Climate Action Network UK and more have issued a joint statement, calling on the new Prime Minister to confront the underlying drivers of inequality, injustice and poverty that affect people both here in the UK and around the world.

The statement follows Andy Burnham’s decision to reallocate £400m of international climate finance commitments, to help fund a cap on bus fares in the UK. However, the 100 NGO leaders warn that diverting resources away from quality grant funding for those who need it most leaves countries already trapped in unfair debt cycles with few choices but to borrow more, to address a climate crisis not of their making.

It also risks creating a false choice between helping families in the UK with cheaper bus fares or tackling the climate crisis and extreme poverty around the world. Instead of pitting these priorities against each other, UK INGO leaders call on Burnham to support both marginalised people in lower-income and climate vulnerable countries, and those in the UK, by addressing the common causes of challenges like inequality, climate change and poverty.

Now is the time for strong action on this agenda. The 100 UK INGO leaders urge the new Prime Minister to fairly tax the wealthiest and largest polluters in society and use the UK’s upcoming G20 presidency to reform the global financial system, in order to help deliver greater fairness, opportunity and prosperity for ordinary people at both in the UK and abroad. They also call on the Prime Minister to protect what remains of the UK aid budget, reverse international climate finance cuts, and set out a roadmap for returning UK aid spending to 0.7% of GNI.

Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said: 

“This Labour government have already continued the pattern set by previous governments: to retreat from our international climate commitments, slash the UK aid budget, and damage our reputation as a reliable international partner.

“But the new Prime Minister, and his Cabinet, have a chance to change this by working together to ensure high-quality international climate finance is protected, and rule out any further cuts to the UK aid budget. The decisions they make now will impact lives, and the climate, for decades to come.

“Together, we call on Prime Minister Burnham to carry the spirit of Manchesterism to the world: by tackling global challenges that hold back progress, and help build a more sustainable and just future for us all.”

Tim Ingram, Head of UK Advocacy at WaterAid said:

“Any step to ease the cost of living and reduce poverty – in the UK or around the world – is welcome, but replacing grants with loans, after already cutting the UK’s international climate finance commitment, and asking countries least responsible for the climate crisis to take on more debt to deal with its consequences, risks exacerbating existing inequalities.

“If this is the tone being set in Burnham’s first week in office, it raises troubling questions about the UK’s commitment to international climate action over the next four years.”

Catherine Pettengell, Executive Director of Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK), said:

“We won’t tackle poverty, nature loss, and climate change by pitting the needs of communities in the UK against those of communities on the frontline of the climate crisis. Rather than slashing funding from one to pay for the other, the new Prime Minister can and must increase public finance for both by fairly taxing the wealthiest and largest polluters in our society and removing harmful fossil fuel subsidies.

“Recent heatwaves and wildfires have shown that climate change is not a future problem, but is happening right now, and the worst consequences are falling disproportionately on countries and communities who have contributed least to the climate emergency. Tackling these issues together is about better lives for everyone in the UK and around the world.”

ENDS. 

Notes to Editors: 

The full statement, signed by 100 NGOs, is available to read here.

Bond’s reaction news to UK government’s decision to switch international climate finance grants to loans, to fund the bus fare cap, is available to read here.

Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 330 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.

Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK) brings together international development and environment organisations in the UK working on the poverty-nature-climate agenda to advocate for climate justice and sustainable development for all.

For further information or interviews, please get in touch with Emily Loynes at [email protected] or 07909947850