The Guardian: I’m proud I championed aid. But we must rethink how we do it
David Cameron, former U.K. prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party

“…[W]ith nearly 900 million people still living on less than $2 a day, the battle against global poverty isn’t over. And, while growth in countries such as China and India is lifting millions out of poverty, in too many of the world’s poorest countries, progress is completely stuck. A great many of these countries … are what are called ‘fragile states.’ … Estimates suggest that by 2030, half of the world’s poor will live in fragile states. We need to be frank: the global goal to eradicate extreme poverty within the next 12 years will never be met unless this problem is addressed. … For the past year I have been chairing the first ever Commission on State Fragility, Growth and Development, a joint venture between Oxford University and the London School of Economics. We have probed issues that many policymakers have previously avoided. And today, the commission publishes its findings. … We have to accept we have often ended up throwing good money after bad. But that is not a reason to stop aid; it is a reason to change the way we do aid. The report calls for a new type of realism in the approach towards fragile states. … Despite the obvious challenges of helping fragile states, I am confident for the future…” (4/19).