Posted to the Ethnos Project by Mark Oppenneer on August 18th, 2013
The UK government believes it is in all our interests to help poor people build a better life for themselves. So in 1997 it created a separate government department – the Department for International Development (DFID) – to meet the many challenges of tackling world poverty. It is DFID’s job to make sure every pound of British aid works its hardest to help the world’s poor.
What we do
The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty. We’re ending the need for aid by creating jobs, unlocking the potential of girls and women and helping to save lives when humanitarian emergencies hit.
Responsibilities
We are responsible for:
- honouring the UK’s international commitments and taking action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals
- making British aid more effective by improving transparency, openness and value for money
- targeting British international development policy on economic growth and wealth creation
- improving the coherence and performance of British international development policy in fragile and conflict-affected countries
- improving the lives of girls and women through better education and a greater choice on family planning
- preventing violence against girls and women in the developing world
- helping to prevent climate change and encouraging adaptation and low-carbon growth in developing countries