U.K., U.S. Should Attach Countries’ Human Rights Efforts To Foreign Aid Receipt

Forbes: Shall There Be Strings Attached to Humanitarian Aid?
Ewelina U. Ochab, human rights advocate and author

“…[B]oth the Department for International Development (DFID) and UKAID in the U.K. and the USAID in the U.S. provide significant assistance to countries in need around the world, with Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan being a few on a longer list. At times, this assistance is given without any strings attached. However, there should be strings attached, but not in the politically diabolical sense like one might imagine. These strings would be used to ensure that states that benefit from such assistance work to uphold human rights and ensure protection for the most vulnerable groups or communities. Balancing aid with human rights protections is a monumental task that both countries have been working on for decades but the U.K. or the U.S. should feel empowered to do more in this regard. … While I am not in favor of removing assistance as this would ultimately hit the people in need and not the state, I am in favor of using their power by way of ensuring they engage in a political dialogue with the states receiving the assistance to up their game on protecting human rights and protecting vulnerable communities…” (7/24).

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