International development agency Christian Aid has issued ‘Ministerial Survival Kits’ to Gordon Brown and five of his newly appointed Secretaries of State in a bid to ensure tackling world poverty is at the top of their agenda.
The kit, which is a gift from a ‘Special Advisor’, has been created by Christian Aid’s policy and campaigns team. Each box contains a photograph and story of a person in the developing world who is suffering as a result of climate change or unfair trade rules.
It also contains a bottle of water, mosquito net, condom, tin of tomatoes and a globe stress ball; visual reminders of Christian Aid’s messages on trade, climate change and HIV. Each item carries a label with startling facts and figures about global poverty.
The kit has been sent to the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Environment Secretary, Chancellor, Secretary of State for International Development and the Minister responsible for Trade Policy.
Sally Golding chief political advisor says: ‘Whilst Ministers adjust to their new roles and take stock of the tasks ahead, the concerns of the poorest people in the world should be at the front of their minds. The poor should act as their new ‘Special Advisor’, a photograph of them a constant reminder of the people the Minister’s decisions will affect and the difference they can make if they choose to.'
For further press information contact Karen Hedges on 020 7523 2404 or email khedges@christian-aid.org.
Notes to editors
Christian Aid is an international development agency working in 50 countries with people of all religions and none.
Facts on the labels attached to each of the items in the box:
Mosquito net
182 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone could die of diseases directly attributable to climate change by end of the century. Climate change is hurting poor people first and worst, even though they have contributed least to the problem. The UK government must use the Climate Change Bill to commit the UK to cuts of at least 80% in CO2 emissions by 2050, and push for other rich countries to match this at the UN climate change meeting in Bali in December.
Bottle of water
4 billion people could experience water shortages if global temperature increase rises above 20C . The UK’s impact on climate change is globalised in the same way as the rest of our economy. As a first step to reducing our global footprint – estimated at up to 15% of global emissions - the government should use the Climate Change Bill to require UK companies to publish clear and comparable details of their CO2 emissions to an agreed standard, right down their supply chain.
Condom
Every 6.5 seconds a person is infected with HIV. The UK helped secure a key pledge for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care by 2010 at the G8 in 2005. The UK must lead efforts to deliver on this pledge, and must pay its fair share of the money required.
Tin of tomatoes
Rigged trade rules cost the developing world $700 billion a year, according to the UN. Christian Aid’s partners in developing countries tell us about specific stories of unfair trade, like the tomato farmers in Senegal who have seen the market price halve because of imports from Europe. The UK should stop regional trade agreements that force open the markets of poor countries and damage their economies, like the Economic Partnership Agreements the EU is currently negotiating with former colonies in Africa and elsewhere.
Globe stress ball
A third of the world’s population live on less than $1 per day. The organisations and institutions set up to change this have failed to listen to and solve the real concerns that poor people have, and instead have imposed top-down economic solutions that have worsened poverty in many countries. The World Bank should stop attaching damaging economic conditions to aid and debt relief and the UK should consider withholding some of its funding to the Bank until it fundamentally reforms its lending activities.