DfID to increase trade role in future — Greening

The U.K. Department for International Development could play an increasing role in trade in the future, according U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening. Speaking exclusively to Devex in London after delivering her final speech before the U.K. general elections on May 7, Greening said the department was progressively looking to enhance economies in developing countries. Asked if a future U.K. government led by her own center-right Conservative Party would bring trade into DfID, following similar moves by conservative Australian and Canadian administrations to merge trade and foreign aid departments, Greening said DfID was already “playing a much bigger role in that and partnering up with U.K. Trade & Investment and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office more now than we’ve ever done in the past.” Greening said many of the countries experiencing development and transition were among the fastest-growing economies on the planet, citing Sierra Leone as an example before the Ebola epidemic took hold in the country in April 2014. She said the department had to “keep up with them on that journey” by delivering more economic development work. “So yes, perhaps in the future you will see more of a trade role,” she continued. “I think we’re very clear as a department that our core objective is tackling poverty, but we recognize one of the primary ways you can do that is through helping create jobs.” Moments earlier, Green had set out her vision for DfID in a speech at the launch of the Save the Children-led Humanitarian Leadership Academy. The three key areas of work she named for the department were to improve preparedness and build resilience rather than focus primarily on responding to disasters, to serve all people effectively when responding to disasters, and to improve innovation. Greening stressed to Devex she wanted DfID to do “much more” work upfront. “What today is about was setting out the increasing work the sector’s now doing upfront in working with local communities, with local governments, in places that we know are high-risk or suffering from crises,” she said. She added she wanted DfID’s future “business as usual” scenario to be one where nongovernmental organizations and donor governments worked with governments and organizations on the ground. “It’s a more locally owned approach,” she explained. Turning to the private sector, Greening also said she wanted businesses to be a “natural part of the response for the humanitarian side of things, as well as on development.” During her time as international development secretary, DfID has forged high-profile partnerships with companies such as Unilever, which is helping it create jobs, improve water and sanitation and develop sustainable supply chains in developing countries. With the U.K. general election fast approaching, Greening may have little more than a month left in post if her own party is not victorious at the polls. However, she showed no signs of preparing to clear her desk. Indeed, in her speech she gave details about a new panel established by DfID to investigate future innovation programs. “There is mounting evidence that delivering humanitarian assistance in the form of cash transfers is more effective, cheaper and preferred by affected communities, yet in-kind programming still predominates,” she said. The independent panel of leading finance, technology and aid experts met for the first time Friday, March 27, “to identify ways in which we can bring cash to scale and realize its full, transformative potential,” Greening said. She also talked about opportunities presented by events that will happen after the elections: a Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July, the September deadline for the U.N. to agree the sustainable development goals, and December’s Climate Change Conference — COP21 — in Paris, France. “It’s really critical that we are using all of these moments to deliver tangible change for the poorest and most vulnerable people,” Greening urged. Finally, Greening reiterated to Devex that DfID would maintain its independence as a government department, rather than being merged with another such as the FCO. “Yes, we will. Whatever happens — I think it’s well established now,” she concluded. The U.K. government is currently led by a coalition of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats parties. U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Greening's vision for DfID includes an emphasis on improving preparedness and building resilience, disaster-response effectiveness, and innovation. Do you agree with this approach? Have your say by leaving a comment below. Stay tuned for more U.K. election coverage and news, views and analysis on how this impacts DfID. To explore additional content, visit the Future of DfID series site, follow us on Twitter and tweet using the hashtag #FutureofDfID.