Press Release
29 January 2007
Benn gets Birmingham talking about Pakistan consultation
Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development, will kick-off a series of nationwide debates on how the UK can best help fight poverty in Pakistan when he visits Birmingham on Tuesday 30th January. He will be asking Muslim leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), councillors and a cross section of Birmingham’s Pakistani community about what they would like to see the UK doing in Pakistan.
Hilary Benn said:
“Pakistan is making progress in tackling poverty and is becoming increasingly prosperous with a growing economy. But with nearly a quarter of the population living on less than 50 pence a day and 1 in 10 children dying before their fifth birthday, big challenges still remain.
“Pakistan is set to become one of the biggest recipients of direct UK aid, which will help us support the Government in improving healthcare, getting 8 million children, mostly girls, into school and make sure everyone has clean drinking water.
“We want people’s ideas on how best we can target our support to ensure UK aid is delivered in the right way and tackles the right issues.”
Hilary Benn will be joined at the event by Dr Maleeha Lodhi, the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK.
Dr Lodhi said:
“As we approach the 60th anniversary of Pakistan's independence, we look to a future of accelerated economic growth whose benefits are equitably shared among the people in order to realize our vision of a vibrant, educated, modern and prospering nation.
“As Pakistan's key development partner, the UK is making a vital contribution in support of our ongoing reform process. We greatly appreciate its strong engagement in our poverty alleviation efforts, which we regard as crucial in helping us achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”
At the end of 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a doubling of the Department for International Development’s aid budget for Pakistan from £236 million to £480 million between 2008-2011.
Hilary Benn will also meet teachers and students at Swanshurst School and hear about the success of their partnership with a school in South Africa. Mr Benn will discuss DFID’s Global School Partnerships scheme and the new “World Classroom” guide which was launched by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown. The guide sets out how teachers can get funding and set up links with schools in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The scheme also offers opportunities for exchange visits for teachers and students.
DFID doubled its funding for the scheme last year to £7.5 million with the aim of getting 1,800 UK schools partnered with the same number of schools in the developing world.
Hilary Benn will also be a guest of Dr Hany El Banna, the President of the Birmingham-based charity Islamic Relief. The charity was supported by people in Birmingham and DFID during its response to the Pakistan earthquake which killed over 70,000 people. Mr Benn will congratulate Islamic Relief on their ongoing work around the world and praise the generosity of the British public in raising hundreds of millions of pounds to help those affected by humanitarian disasters.
Notes to editors
1. The UK is proud to be the home of 800,000 people of Pakistani origin and DFID’s consultation events will be taking place in Birmingham, Bradford (31 January), Glasgow (1 February) and London (5 February). Have your say or e-mail your comments on the new Pakistan anti-poverty plan to PakistanCAP@dfid.gov.uk by 30 April 2007.
2. In Pakistan about 1 in 4 people of a population of 165 million live on less than 50 pence a day. One in ten children will die before their fifth birthday and half of all adults cannot read or write. According to the UN’s Human Development Index which ranks 177 countries on their wealth, literacy rates and life expectancy, Pakistan comes low down at number 134 behind Sri Lanka and India.
3. Recent examples of DFID support for Pakistan:
- £90 million to a Pakistan-led initiative to improve mother and child health. The initiative is expected to help save the lives of at least 30,000 women and 100,000 babies over the next 5 years and ensure 10 million families will enjoy better health than they do today.
- £3.5 million to help improve voter registration, train polling staff and party agents, improve voter education and fund a group of international observers to visit Pakistan ahead of the elections expected later this year.
- DFID Pakistan has just pledged £6 million to support the Government of Pakistan in reducing poverty in Pakistan by empowering women, especially poor women, to participate more fully in Pakistan’s economic, social and political walks of life. £2 million of the funds will be used to set up a Gender Justice and Protection Fund, with the specific aim of supporting joint government and civil society efforts to tackle violence against women.
4. To find out more about the Global School Partnerships programme and to read The World Classroom guide please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/school-partnerships.asp or to order a copy please ring 0845 300 4100. For more information about what funding is available please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk/funding/globalschools.asp In 2006 Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn have committed the UK Government to spending at least £8.5 billion, on aid for education over the next ten years. This £8.5 billon commitment compares to a figure of less than £2 billion over the last 10 years.
5. DFID support for Islamic Relief includes:
- Pakistan earthquake – DFID provided 10,000 tarpaulins, 20,000 blankets and 1,000 winterised tents equivalent to over £250,000 of support. DFID funded 4 flights for Islamic Relief to carry over 200,000 kilograms of relief items equivalent to £420,000 of support.
- DFID made a commitment of up to £590,000 to Islamic Relief for a shelter project in Sri Lanka, in response to the Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004. Work included house cleaning and clearing, temporary shelter, house repair and repair water and sanitation facilities.
For further information, contact 0207 023 0600, e-mail: pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.
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