With Britain under fire for an alleged inadequate response to the global Aids epidemic, Martin Flynn interviews Gareth Thomas MP - the new Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development
 photos: nikki kastner |
Up until 1997 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office handled British policy on international development. But with Labour in office the Department for International Development (DFID) was set up and in just six years it has grown in size and significance and now has an annual budget of £3.7 billion - four times that of the Foreign Office.
With Clare Short’s resignation from the Cabinet after the Iraq war a new team has taken over at DFID with Baroness Valerie Amos as Secretary of State, Hilary Benn as Minister of State and Gareth Thomas as Under Secretary.
“One of the great things about Clare Short,” Gareth Thomas explains, “is how she established the department to be so powerful so quickly, and gave it such a distinctive voice both in the UK and at an international level. Our job is to take on that job and build on her legacy.
“I think the growth of DFID reflects the government’s commitment to the international development agenda as compared to our predecessors. We’re committed to work towards spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on international development. By 2005 to 2006 we’ll be at 0.4 per cent and when we came into power it was only 0.25 per cent.
“One of the reasons for this is the way HIV/Aids in the developing world is turning the clock back in terms of shifting people out of poverty. For example, the number of teachers in Malawi with HIV or Aids is now greater than the number of people in teacher training colleges. So you get a sense of the impact of the epidemic not just on the individual but also on the country’s infrastructure.”
What are the goals of DFID on HIV and Aids?
“The key thing is that we want to develop the capacity of countries where there is a big problem. So, for example, we’re trying to develop the health systems in those countries by making access to medicines more sustainable as well as training people to treat HIV and to support people with the virus. The key challenge for us is to create sustainable healthcare.
“We’re looking at how we can improve access to treatment. In Africa at the moment there are just 50,000 people being treated for HIV. We’re hoping by 2005 this figure will rise to three million, which is the World Health Organisation plan.
“We’re also looking at what we can do to get the prevention message out there to try and prevent the spread of the disease and make people more aware of the risks.”
Is the UK government still supporting the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria? There is a perception that the government has gone a bit lukewarm on the Fund.
“The Global Fund is just one tool to tackle the problem of HIV/Aids
and it’s not the only one. We’re certainly not lukewarm to it.
We recently committed a further $80 million for the period 2006-2008 on top
of the $200 million we’ve already pledged. So we’ve got a long-term
commitment to the Fund that gives it sustainable finances and helps it lever
in funding from other sources. We’re the second biggest donor to the
Fund. We’re very serious about supporting it and we’re actually
putting our money where our mouth is.
“Tony Blair initiated a letter with Jacques Chirac for the European Union to match the American commitment of up to $1 billion for the Fund. I think that it’s an unfair perception to suggest that we are not serious about the Global Fund. The fact that we were in very quickly to help establish the Fund and set it off in a sustainable way is a sign of our commitment.
“But as I’ve said the Global Fund is just one tool. We give money to a whole series of countries so that they can develop their own response to HIV/Aids. We also give money to UNAIDS. So there are a series of ways in which we support the fight against the epidemic.
“Sometimes giving money to NGOs (non-governmental organisations) is the right way, sometimes giving money directly to governments is the right way. We have to make a judgement about this and not just be fixated on the Global Fund as the only response. It has a part to play but it’s not the only part.”
What other projects on Aids is DFID supporting?
“An example is an innovative project in South Africa called ‘Soul
City’, which uses a multi-media approach to get the message out about
the risks of HIV. It’s trying to change attitudes and social norms and
encourage safer sexual behaviour. It’s been so successful it’s
now being rolled out in a number of other southern African countries.
“We’re also in Zambia providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Education HIV Project and in India we’re working with the government to get out treatment and prevention messages. We’re putting in £120 million to support work being done there.”
The recent World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal in Geneva on drug patents and intellectual property rights (TRIPS) gives some hope. Will the UK back developing countries so that they can import cheap HIV drugs?
“We supported the WTO deal and we recognise that the cost of the drugs is the key. But just because we’ve got the deal on TRIPS it does not mean that the drugs are going to flow to the people who need them most. For some countries even if the price of the drugs comes down they will still not be able to afford them. The cost and the need is such that the rich western countries are still going to have to support developing countries to pay for the drugs they need.
“We’ve been very clear that we want the price of drugs to come down. I think the TRIPS deal will make a significant difference and we have to make sure we are getting the volume of drugs to those who need them.”
Part of the TRIPS deal is that countries like India who make the cheap drugs have to accept international patent laws by 2005. So haven’t we only got a two-year window period to act?
“I don’t accept that. The deal allows countries like Uganda to import generic drugs if it can’t persuade the big drug companies to lower their prices. That should make a big difference in bringing the prices down.”
Is all the fine talk from the West about Aids just a smokescreen to cover up for less popular foreign adventures like the Iraq war?
“I don’t think it’s a smokescreen at all.”
There is a perception that British foreign policy is almost paralysed in the wake of the Iraq war and the Hutton enquiry.
“I think that perception is wrong. Tackling HIV/Aids remains a key priority for the British government. As politicians we aren’t able to control the media despite allegations to the contrary. I wish the media would put more emphasis on what we’re doing in areas like HIV, and not just get carried away by the Hutton Inquiry. DFID plays a part in British foreign policy and has not stopped working since the Hutton enquiry.
“A sign of the government’s commitment is that our proportion of overseas aid out of gross national income is rising significantly. That’s one of the key differences between the Conservative Party and us. We are serious about our international development commitments and we are willing to put money behind that.”
Will DFID remain powerful now that Clare Short has gone?
“Absolutely. We remain a heavyweight government department with a serious Secretary of State sitting at the Cabinet table and arguing for development issues at the highest level. Until the last Cabinet reshuffle there were two ministers at DFID and now there are three. The team has increased along with the funding and I think that’s an indication of the seriousness Labour attaches to our work.”
Do you think NGOs still have a major role in the battle against HIV and Aids?
“Absolutely. There’s a role for NGOs in particular where there’s a problem with corruption or bad governance. But there’s also a role for NGOs as campaigning organisations to raise the profile of HIV/Aids at both a domestic level within the UK and internationally.
“Organisations such as the UKC have been extremely effective in keeping the HIV/Aids issue in the media and at the forefront of politicians’ minds. And we welcome that work.”
As we went to press Baroness Amos was appointed leader of the House of Lords following the death of Lord Williams of Mostyn. Hilary Benn was promoted to Secretary of State at the Department for International Development (DFID) from his position as Minister of State. See UK News.
