Browse by Theme: Advocacy

As we launch into 2018 it is worth reflecting that 2017 has not only seen some political upheavals in the UK and the US but also some fundamental social shifts. Whilst the revelations of sexual harassment and abuse of power from Hollywood to almost every workplace were not a surprise to some, they certainly got people talking about what is acceptable and gave people the confidence to come forward and share their #metoo experiences. So 2018 has to be the year we reinforce this cultural shift and secure some concrete changes in policy and practice when it comes to achieving gender justice at home and abroad.

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A six foot badger wanders among dozens of undistracted police holding a placard, “I am innocent”. Security is called to disperse a furious mob of septuagenarians barred entry from a sell-out Brexit event where Conservative Party darling, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is headlining. Katie Hopkins arrives bewilderingly, among the conference suits and ties, in a wedding dress. And then the PM’s speech… It was a party conference which might fairly be described as ‘surreal’.

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The right to work for refugees is vital. In fact, increasing the economic opportunities for refugees is the only way in which they can become autonomous and productive, escape from long-term limbo and prevent them from being a burden on the state. But this is just one of the ways in which refugees can be supported, and providing the right to work is not an excuse for states to avoid their responsibilities to help people in need. Fundamentally, there needs to be political will and collaboration around a range of interventions and support to resolve refugee crises and an equitable resettlement arrangement should be a part of this.

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CARE staff in the UK and across the world are devastated at the news of the murder of Jo Cox (formerly Jo Leadbeater).

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According to a policy proposal released by the European Commission and European External Action Service on 7 June, the mind-blowing answer to that question is: yes. Stop migration to Europe with all possible means. Whether it is EU development cooperation or trade with third countries, or cooperation on climate change, education, energy, agriculture, you name it. All of these policies are to serve the purpose of migration control... IF member states and the European Parliament agree to this proposal.

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Aid spending by the UK is once again in the news. This time a Mail on Sunday campaign and petition has secured a Westminster Hall debate on 13 June. Up for discussion (but not review) will be the 0.7% target set into law at the end of the last parliament that obliges the UK to spend this percentage of its Gross National Income on overseas development assistance (ODA). But at a time when there are 91 million people in need of emergency assistance across 35 declared crises, the highest in a generation, climate change is daily demonstrating its disruptive and destructive force on the lives of the most vulnerable, and global health crises emerge on an annual basis, surely the only thing outrageous about spending 7p in every £10 on tackling global problems is that it is so little.

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The Mail on Sunday’s recent petition calling on the UK government to renege on its fixed 0.7% foreign aid commitment received a staggering 230,233 signatures. The petition is set to be discussed in a Parliamentary debate on 13 June 2016, which will re-evaluate the newly-passed International Development Bill. According to the Mail on Sunday, the Department for International Development (DFID)’s annual £12 billion aid budget is grossly misspent, “fuels corruption, funds despots and corrodes democracy in developing nations”.

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