Scottish Catholic Observer

Cardinal Keith O’Brien led a last-minute bid seeking assurance from First Minister Alex Salmond that Scottish Government’s international aid budget will be saved from cuts this week.

Along with the heads of the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church, the cardinal wrote to the First Minister to warn that it would be a ‘tragedy’ if the Scottish Government was seen to be cutting its commitment to the world’s poor at this time.

The Scottish Government’s budget announcement was pending as the Scottish Catholic Observer went to press.

Moral responsibility

Scotland’s international development spending, created five years ago, has been used to help life-saving projects in Malawi and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and has also supported emergency appeals in the wake of the Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods. Last week, when no clear undertaking by the Scottish Government’s to preserve the aid budget was forthcoming, church leaders took action.

In their letter they argue that Scotland has a ‘moral responsibility’ towards the poorest in the world, and that it would be wrong to ‘balance the books in our nation by withdrawing support from those most in need.’

The letter to Mr Salmond is signed by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Rt Rev John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; and the Most Rev David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

“As leaders of the Christian faith in Scotland, we are writing to urge you not to reduce the commitment of the Scottish Government to its international development strategy when the budget is announced,” they say.

Recalling the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005, they add: “The (Scottish Government’s] international development strategy came about as a result of the Gleneagles G8 and it would be a tragedy if it was perceived that the Scottish Government was softening its commitment to the poorest.”

Aid agencies

Scottish aid agencies have also called on the First Minister to stay true to his 2007 manifesto commitment and maintain Scotland’s small international development fund.

Paul Chitnis, chief executive of SCIAF, said it was vital the government maintained the current level of spending.

“This relatively small but life-changing aid budget signifies the active concern of the Scottish nation for people who live in abject poverty beyond our shores,” he said. “We believe this is a continuing sign of an increasingly self-confident, outward looking and compassionate democracy. It says something important about Scotland as a country and it is vital that this budget is maintained.”

Prior to the budget announcement SCIAF also called on all its supporters to send a mass letter to the First Minister pleading against any cuts the funding.

“Scotland’s aid budget has saved and changed lives around the world. It has helped people work their own way out of poverty and Scots are rightly proud of this commitment which means we can be there when disasters like the Haiti earthquake or the Pakistan floods hit, and which supports people in building sustainable livelihoods for themselves in countries like Malawi and Zambia. But this aid is under threat,” the letter reads.

“To cut the aid budget now would mean taking away a lifeline from the poorest and most vulnerable around the world. We know the government is under pressure because of the financial crisis, but we also know that those who bear no responsibility for the crisis are those being hit hardest. While the bankers are still receiving bonuses, the UN estimates an extra 63million people will have fallen into poverty by the end of 2010 as a result of the financial crisis.”

UK precedent

International aid was ring-fenced in the first budget of Britain’s coalition Government this year.

This week, in his first annual speech to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at London’s Guildhall, Prime Minister David Cameron defended his pledge to protect international aid spending.

Mr Cameron promised Britain would meet the target to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid by 2013—arguing it saved lives, prevented conflict and was the ‘most visible example of Britain’s global reach’ for millions of people.

Britain must resolve issues with its economy, however, if it wants to ‘carry weight in the world,’ he added.

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—     Pic: Paul McSherry