A World Free From Poverty - Policy Paper Gets The Nod From Conference

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 30th Sep 2004

Delegates to the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth have given their overwhelming approval for the international development policy paper A World Free from Poverty. Key highlights of Liberal Democrat policy are:

• Meet Britain's promise on aid by boosting aid spending to 0.7% of GNI by March 2011 at the latest.

• Tackle the burden of developing country debt with 100% debt cancellation for world's poorest countries under the Liberal Democrats

• Ensure that UK legislation meets its obligations under the UN Convention Against Corruption and ratify the Convention at the earliest opportunity.

• End subsidies for arms sales and ensure that UK foreign, defence, aid and trade policies do not exacerbate already tense situations.

• Encourage the growth of small and medium sized business in developing countries by increasing the availability of micro-credit schemes and facilities.

• Encourage direct investment in local businesses in developing economies by including in the ISA scheme a small annual tax credit of up to £3,000 for every adult to invest in a Millennium Development Account.

• Put additional resources into international development. Lib Dems will allocate 50% of the unclaimed assets held by financial institutions into a Millennium Development Goals Trust.

The following is an extract from Charles Kennedy's speech to Conference:

"And we've already found further large savings - at least £5bn a year - by cutting back on big, centralised government and redirecting money to priority spending:

"… Making sure that by 2011 Britain finally fulfils its UN obligations by boosting the overseas aid budget to 0.7% of GNP;

"The figures add up; the balance sheet is balanced."

The full text of the Leader's speech can be found here: http://www.libdems.org.uk/index.cfm/page.news/section.conference/article.7528

The full text of the summation speech can be found here: http://www.libdems.org.uk/index.cfm/page.news/section.conference/article.7533

The full text of the motion can be found here: http://www.libdems.org.uk/index.cfm/page.agenda/section.conference/body.499

For further queries or a hard copy of the policy paper, please contact Tom Brake's researcher Hong Ling Dyer via dyerh@parliament.uk or 020 7219 0924.