UK pushes ‘bold new approach’ to aid as Cooper warns of global food crisis over Iran war

The world risks “sleepwalking” into a food crisis as Iran’s three-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to choke key supply chains for power and energy, Yvette Cooper has warned. fertilizer.

Minister of Foreign Affairs made a statement Global Partnerships Conference in LondonCo-hosted by the United Kingdom and South Africa, it aims to forge new partnerships and introduce a “new approach to international development”. Devastating cuts to foreign aid From England, USA and elsewhere.

Speaking in her opening remarks, Ms Cooper warned that the world was “more volatile, more contentious, more unstable than ever before”. events in the Middle East one of countless threats that rich nations need to be better able to address.

Ms Cooper said of Iran’s ongoing blockade of Hormuz, which has hit communities at a time when they should be planting for the next harvest: “The global economy is being held hostage and the Global South is paying the ultimate price.” “The agricultural clock is ticking and damage is already being done, which will affect crop yields and food prices well into next year.

“Like World Food Program “With nearly 45 million people in the global south at risk of being pushed into acute hunger this year, the world risks sleepwalking towards a global food crisis,” he warned.

In the same speech, Ms Cooper also warned of other “simultaneous crises” facing the world today: “conflict, climate, [and] infectious diseases with ongoing crisis” Ebola In the Democratic Republic of the Congo this has been highlighted as a particular concern.

Stating that “bold new approaches” are now needed for international development, given the numerous threats facing the world as well as aid cuts, the Foreign Secretary continued with the UK’s new strategy as follows: Prioritizing aid to fragile and conflict-affected countriesHe exemplifies this when establishing new investment partnerships with more stable developing countries.

“[We need to] “Mobilize much broader investments and different forms of capital investment and support,” he said. “The second change is to ensure that we focus our humanitarian grants on the countries and communities that need support most.”

Key conference announcements reflecting this new approach to development include £1bn climate investment from the US. state-owned development investor British International InvestmentsThis will unlock a further £3.5bn of private capital, according to the FCDO.

The UK has also announced the establishment of new “Communities of Expertise” – new “demand-led, interdisciplinary centres” that will enable the UK to share development-related expertise in key areas such as climate and energy, education, health, finance and governance.

However, there was a mixed reaction at the conference to the UK position put forward by the foreign secretary; Some wondered whether reducing the UK aid budget from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) would mean that the UK could actually achieve this target.

“I am concerned that the enthusiasm for the conference has far outstripped the reality of what could be achieved on a much reduced budget,” said Sarah Champion, chair of the International Development committee. Independent.

“The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz shows how fragile global food and energy security is, but that is not why,” he continued. “If we want to support a sustainable world, patient investment in preventing the root causes of poverty – conflict, inequality and climate change – must be our focus.”

Ms. Champion’s comments come after other countries, such as Norway, said they were adapting their development strategies to the new global reality, but did so without cutting their overall budgets.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the African embassy in London said: Independent They told Tuesday’s conference that they were skeptical that companies in the Global North would now actually start investing in his district because of ongoing investments. misplaced “risk perception” regarding investment opportunities.

“There is a historical perception among investors that all the different African countries are essentially the same and that they are all risky even if that is not the case,” he said. “There is a lot of talk here about moving from ideas to implementation, but I have a hard time seeing that actually happening.

“The cost of insuring a shipment from Brazil to Europe is approximately 20% of the cost of insuring the same shipment from Africa to Europe, and so far this has not changed.”

NGOs in the UK applied Independent – Those who called on England before the conference show greater ambition on global aid – also expressed concern about the UK’s new approach to development.

Responding to the Secretary of State’s food crisis warning, Jennier Larbie, Christian Aid’s UK Impact Leader, said: “There is little urgency to provide new funding to meet urgent needs or cancel the debts of the worst-hit low-income countries [when] This crisis should encourage solidarity.

“The British government should introduce a new law Forcing private sector creditors to provide immediate debt relief “Thus, countries can react to geopolitical crises beyond their control.”

Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of Oxfam Great Britain, added: “The UK Government cannot speak credibly about peace and stability while continuing arms sales to Israel and cutting aid supporting people caught in crisis.

“There is a clear choice to be made. Ministers can lead on fair taxation of the super-rich and fossil fuel companies who benefit from global instability, rather than asking people who have done nothing to cause conflict and the injustice of poverty to face the consequences.”

Meanwhile, CARE International UK Head of Advocacy and Policy Dorothy Sang said: “Ministers are right to sound the alarm about the looming food crisis but they need to think more radically.

“Like many global challenges, food insecurity is a deeply gendered crisis: CARE’s work has found that countries with higher gender inequality consistently face worse hunger and security situations, while in times of crisis women still eat last and least.

“Without the right voices in the room, the billions of people gathered may struggle to deliver the transformative change we need. There needs to be room in the tent to both increase funding at scale and put women’s experiences and expertise at the center of lasting solutions.”

This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project