Published by The Guardian UK on 30 October 2011.
Countries that ban homosexuality risk losing aid, warns David Cameron
Britain has threatened countries that ban homosexuality with losing aid payments unless they reform, David Cameron has said.
But he conceded that "deep prejudices" in some countries meant the problem would persist for years.
The prime minister said he had raised the issue with leaders of some of the states involved when he attended the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Australia.
Britain was "putting the pressure on", he said. But it was not a problem that would be solved by the time Commonwealth leaders are next due to meet, in Sri Lanka in 2013.
Cameron warned Sri Lanka to improve its human rights record or face boycotts of the 2013 summit. He declined to discuss whether the UK could stay away but said he shared a "similar view" to that of the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, who has said he will not attend.
Ending bans on homosexuality was one of the recommendations of a highly critical internal report on the future relevance of the Commonwealth, written by experts from across the member nations.
"We are not just talking about it. We are also saying that British aid should have more strings attached," Cameron said on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show in an interview recorded at the summit in Perth.
"This is an issue where we are pushing for movement, we are prepared to put some money behind what we believe. But I'm afraid that you can't expect countries to change overnight.
"Britain is one of the premier aid givers in the world. We want to see countries that receive our aid adhering to proper human rights. We are saying that is one of the things that determines our aid policy, and there have been particularly bad examples where we have taken action."
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/30/ban-homosexuality-lose-aid-cameron?intcmp=239
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5518910
ReplyDeleteMalaysian states consider laws against gay Muslims
Two Malaysian states are considering passing laws that could punish gay Muslims and gay rights supporters with prison sentences, a regional minister told AFP on Saturday.
Malaysia made headlines earlier this month when police said they would prevent an annual gay rights festival. The organisers decided to call off the event for the safety of their participants.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has urged Malaysia in a letter to the prime minister -- who is expected to call fresh polls within months -- to rescind the ban and protect all Malaysians from discrimination.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/feb/06/old-british-aid-policy-rears-head
ReplyDeleteThe worrying trend – and potentially illegal direction – of British aid policy showed further signs of rearing its ugly head last week, when the government expressed disappointment at not getting the contract for Typhoon fighter jets in India. The contract was largely expected in return for the UK's ongoing commitment to provide aid to India. India, of course, has increasing prosperity among the middle and upper classes, but it is still blighted by high levels of extreme poverty.
The illegality of tied aid was clarified 18 years ago in a landmark legal action. In 1994, the World Development Movement launched an action in the high court about the proposed British financing of the Pergau dam, a hydro-electric dam on the river Pergau in Malaysia. The UK's partial funding of the dam, through aid totalling $351m, was alleged at the time to be linked to the sale of arms by British firms to Malaysia.
While the UK government had pursued a controversial policy of aid for trade since the late 1970s, the World Development Movement asserted in the Pergau dam case that the primary purpose of British aid must be the economic benefit of the recipient country and the welfare of its people. The high court agreed. The 1994 ruling stated that, while decisions to provide aid can take into account political considerations, "the power must be exercised for the purpose of promoting an economically sound development".
The decision from the high court at the time was clear: bilateral aid decisions can't be based on commercial considerations, and such considerations can only come into play after developmental considerations have been met. The case itself was a scandal, leading to parliamentary investigations and the alleged forced resignation of a permanent secretary. The then UK foreign secretary Douglas Hurd's job was also on the line.