§ The Earl of Sandwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they agree with the report Reality of Aid 2000 that the number of poor, currently about one billion, is growing and that over 25 million more live in absolute poverty as a direct result of aid cuts. [HL1950]
§ Baroness AmosThe latest global data on poverty numbers, provided by the World Bank, is for 1998. This shows that both the proportion, and the number, of poor people have fallen in the world since 1990. Progress slowed during the period 1996–98, partly due to the Asian financial crisis, and, although the proportion of poor people remained roughly constant during this period, the number of poor people rose.
There was a decline in global aid flows until 1997, but in 1998 total flows increased by US$3.6 billion. The UK aid programme is geared to supporting countries committed to poverty reduction.