A new approach to international development
We understand that not all aid spending is perfect and that the misuse of aid undermines public trust in how important it can be. Some forms of aid spending and campaigning can be actively damaging and problematic, reinforcing colonial stereotypes, damaging human rights and reflecting the needs of the “donor” rather than recipients. What’s more, aid alone cannot undo the structural injustices of the global economy – far more wealth flows out of the global south each year in the form of tax evasion, resource extraction and the illicit manoeuvrings of multinational corporations than is replaced by aid.
But, aid thought of in a different way can contribute to important struggles for social justice and alleviate the burden of the poverty. Used properly, aid can act as a form of internationalist solidarity and global redistribution. That is why we campaign for a new approach to aid and international development.
These funds should instead be invested in strong public services that are proven to reduce poverty and close inequalities. In recognition of their historic role as colonial powers and major carbon emitters, rich countries in the global north should give grants, not loans, to countries in the global south to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy in a just way.
And, rather than seeing these as separate issues, it is also vital that we talk about the need for debt cancellation, tax justice and wealth taxation as part of a broader model for international solidarity.
