What happened at the 2024 party conferences?
Over the past month, Bond and our members participated in the Liberal Democrats, Conservative, and Labour party conferences in Brighton, Birmingham, and Liverpool.
We met with political supporters, supported our members advocacy efforts, and ensured international development remained a key topic at the conferences.
Key discussions focused on rebuilding the UK’s reputation as a trusted global partner and what genuine partnership looks like, realigning efforts to achieve the SDGs, and outlining priorities for the government on international development and UK aid.
Liberal Democrats Party Conference
Bond hosted an event with Lib Dems in International Development (LDID) exploring “What is a liberal vision for international development” and heard from Lord Purvis and Brian Mathews MP.
Labour Party Conference
At Bond’s annual drinks reception, our CEO Romilly Greenhill introduced Minister for Development, Anneliese Dodds, and took the opportunity to highlight Bond and the sector’s concerns over UK aid potentially reaching its lowest levels in 17 years, with more than a third of the budget being spent domestically.
Dodds emphasised Labour’s commitment to international development, while Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, spoke about her desires for the UK’s global role. Labour MP and founder of LCID David Taylor, called on the sector to counter anti-UK aid public sentiment and garner more public support of UK aid.
Paulette Hamilton MP shared her experiences visiting women in Ghana stressing the importance of tackling poverty and keeping people prosperous wherever they are in the world.
Bond also hosted a panel event exploring what progressive realism means for development, chaired by Bond’s Romilly Greenhill. Speakers included Emily Thornberry MP, David Taylor MP, Peymana Assad, Labour Councillor and Co-founder of the Labour Foreign Policy group and Frances Guy, CEO of Scotland’s International Development Alliance. The panel discussed how the UK can maintain its influence in the world and what genuine partnerships look like and the emerging challenges for the FCDO.
David Taylor called for reform of OECD DAC rules to ensure the UK aid budget serves its intended purpose and proposed that a dedicated international development adviser should be in No.10 if there isn’t one already.
Peymana Assad also raised concerns about high UK aid spending on refugees and asylum seekers, advocating for a formal process to engage civil society and challenging far-right narratives.
She also passionately spoke about the need for a realistic approach to international development and foreign policy, calling for the “inclusion of civil society voices on the ground in decisions around women and girls making sure they are at the table.”
Frances Guy discussed the future of the FCDO stating that “if the FCDO is going to stay as a merged department, there must be efforts made to make sure all staff are trained in development.”
Bond hosted another panel on equitable partnerships in collaboration with STOPAIDS, and the Kampala Initiative. The panel featured Leigh Ingham MP, Dumi Gatsha of I4DEV, Economist Priya Lukka, Dr Danny Gotto of Kampala Initiative and Dr Pete Baker.
Priya Lukka, author of Bond’s recent papers on justice-led approaches to international development, discussed the need to hardwire justice-based approaches and shift from the top-down donor-led models to community-driven approaches to achieve true equitable partnerships. She also discussed how reparations can remedy structural inequalities between countries.
Dr. Danny Gotto stressed the lack of accountability in UK aid cuts, which harmed trust and relationships with lower-income countries.
While Leigh Ingham called for equitable partnerships to be embedded in everything the Labour government does.
Dumi Gatsha critiqued the imperialist structures within the development sector, noting how INGOs relocating offices to the majority world often still retain resources, competing with local groups and communities.
All the panellists agreed that it should not be just a Western concept of justice that drives the sector. Dumi also emphasised that health programmes are usually developed by the centres of power, and instead should have “knowledge production driven by the majority world.”
During the conference, Bond members and allies held numerous fringe events on subjects such as MAG and the Halo Trust’s tackling conflict in a volatile world, CARE International’s feminism as a catalyst for progressive realism, multilateral aid, the BBC World Service as a trusted voice in an era of disinformation and how the UK can be a force for good in the Middle East and North Africa.
Bond’s Romilly Greenhill also appeared on the IPPR panel discussing Labour’s Foreign Policy on Diplomacy, Development and Defence calling for the UK government to show up at key global moments and reprioritise UK aid so we no longer turn up, empty handed.
It was also encouraging to hear Veterans Minister Alistair Carns call for peace when asked about what needs to be done on the situation in Sudan.
Dorah Kiconco Musinguzi, Raising Voices Senior Technical Advisor, also passionately spoke about that taking a feminist approach to foreign policy includes looking at justice and communities left behind.
Conservative Party Conference
At Bond’s drinks reception with Conservative Friends for International Development, Romilly encouraged the Conservative Party to be an effective opposition and work to hold Labour’s feet to the fire on UK aid. Romilly also applauded the party’s historical commitment to UK aid and international development, as well as Andrew Mitchell’s leadership as the previous Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development), but flagged the impact merging DFID and FCDO , as well as the cuts to UK aid programming, has had on the UK’s global reputation and most importantly, programmes supporting communities in lower income countries and fragile states.
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP then spoke about his concerns that despite previous Labour governments being champions of international development, he was “concerned that the beating heart of development, which was strong under previous Labour government is not as strong under this Labour government”. Mitchell then went on to make the case that development, not narrow nationalism, was the thing that answered many global challenges, such as migration, conflict, pandemics, and climate change. Mitchell then stated that he hoped that the International Development White Paper would form a strong basis for any future humanitarian and development policies and that development needed to be a British endeavour, rather than a part political endeavour.
The following day, the Centre for Global Prosperity ran several events with Bond members. The first was with Halo Trust and explored the links between trade, mine clearance and humanitarian and development assistance.
Halo Trust used the example of Angola to explain the links between “aid,” trade and mine clearance, flagging the role mine clearance played in ensuring the US was able to get oil out of the DRC though the Lobito Corridor.
Sidney Yankson, the Conservative candidate for Southampton Itchen, went on to explain how China is using their Belt and Road Initiative for their national interest, as a trade route, and argues that the UK should also be thinking about to link UK aid to the national interest of trade, but right now were late to the game.
James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust, argued that despite the UK playing such a significant role in Afghanistan, unlike many other countries, had failed to open a UK embassy in Kabul which would allow the UK to fulfil a trade and humanitarian role by being more present in Afghanistan.
Rachel Carnac, owner or Metal Events Limited, stated that there are several countries that have resources the UK relied upon, many affected by conflict and in need of the UK’s support.
Centre for Gobal Prosperity hosted an event with Rebecca Smith MP, Dame Harriett Baldwin DBE MP, Shadow Minister for Development, Amy Smith, United Against Malnutrition and Hunger, Head of Advocacy and Policy and Kate Munro, Action Against Hunger, Head of Advocacy. The event explored how prioritising food security in British foreign policy can position Britain as a force for good while focusing on empowering women and girls.
Despite the returns on investment when it comes to women and girls being so high, there continues to be a lack of investments in the SDGs on women and girls and hunger so both continue to stay off track.
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