Recently the UK passed a bill which enshrines in law their commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on aid every year, a target first reached by the UK last year. The UN established the target in 1970 but only five other countries – Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates – have met the target to date. The UK is the first G7 country to meet the target, spending £11.3 billion in 2014 on international aid. Alongside the financial commitment, the International Development bill, expected to come into force on 1st June 2015, also calls for independent evaluation and monitoring of money spent on aid.
Although the 0.7% spending target was part of each major political parties’ manifesto in 2010, the bill, proposed by Liberal Democrat ex-cabinet minister Michael Moore, sought to transform the pledge to a legal requirement. In December 2014
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