Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg on tackling poverty around the world

Nick Clegg has done an interview and video clip for ONE Vote 2010, a campaign group “committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa”.

Here’s a sample:

What would you do to secure a global climate deal that helps people living in poverty? Would you ensure that climate funding is additional to current and promised aid flows?

The Liberal Democrats have long been at the forefront of the environmental agenda and have a record of campaigning for ambitious action on the environment and climate change. At the heart of our thinking on climate change is the belief that developing countries should not be expected to bear the burden of climate change which has been caused in large part to the actions of the developed world. We believe that development aid should be targeted on projects that are environmentally sustainable, such as renewable energy.

The Liberal Democrats have called for the developed world to provide $160 billion per year to developing countries to assist with climate change adaption and mitigation and are the only party committed to providing this finance in addition to the existing commitment to spend 0.7% GNI on aid. We support the UN Adaption Fund and would establish a Leapfrog Fund to facilitate the transfer of green technologies.

UK development assistance is well respected, but are there ways in which you would increase its effectiveness?

We will ensure a high level of transparency in decision-making, both for bilateral and multi-lateral aid and oppose any form of tied aid for procurement. We support strategies to increase donor coordination and division of labour, and the use of country systems with enhanced ownership for recipient countries. Where possible we would channel assistance through partner country mechanisms, including support to the development of local democratic institutions, civil society groups and the media.

We will reform the funding mechanism for the World Food Programme so that it can work to prevent hunger rather than just respond to crisis situations…We believe that bilateral aid should be targeted at the poorest people not necessarily the poorest countries.