Why does the UK have an International development Programme?
Almost1 billion people, one in six of the world’s population, live in extreme poverty. This means they live on less than $1 a day. Ten million children die each year before their fifth birthday, most of them from preventable diseases. more than 113 million of the world’s children are currently not enrolled in school – that is one in five of all children of primary school age. Half of these children live in Africa, and 60% are girls. And frequently where children do attend school, the education they receive is poor quality and fails to equip them with the skills and qualifications needed to lift themselves out of poverty.
Tackling this human suffering and wasted potential and seeking to improve the lives of others is the greatest moral challenge in the world today. It is also in our own national interest. Globalisation means that the lives of people around the world are becoming more interconnected, and many problems affecting this country – conflict, drug trafficking, environmental degradation, illegal migration – are caused or made worse by global poverty. Getting rid of poverty will make the world a better and safer place for everybody.
