On 23 October we sent the following letter to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ed Miliband, to encourage meaningful action on global debt.
Dear Secretary of State
A New Deal for Developing Countries
We are the UK Section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF UK). WILPF’s mission is to build a global peace by addressing the root causes of violence, conflict and inequality. In May 2026 we wrote to the then Foreign Secretary to add our voice to the many concerned about the impact of the government’s slashing of the aid budget to 0.3% on some of the world’s poorest countries which aid agencies have described as leaving “the UK’s reputation in tatters, and a poorer, more unequal and unstable world for us all”. (Sadly, we did not receive any response to this letter.)
We followed this up with a letter in September 2026 to the new Prime Minister and yourself, as the new Foreign Secretary, urging the government to restore the aid budget and to participate actively in the International Panel on Inequality. (As yet we have not had a response to this letter either.)
We were, however, pleased to see that you have been attending the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings and that you are taking up the UK’s seat on the World Bank’s board yourself. We understand that you will be urging action to address the impact of debt on countries in the Global South, invoking the Gleneagles summit under the last Labour government in 2005. It is vital that the UK’s international reputation and leadership is restored, and playing a strong and positive role in these institutions will be crucial if the new Labour government is serious about addressing the issue of global debt.
As you have recognised, the world is facing a climate crisis and developing countries need to invest in adapting to the climate emergency, while experts have calculated that debt servicing costs absorbed 45% of government revenues in the global south and 70% in low-income countries. How can these countries address these problems when they cannot even provide basic public services while they are so constrained by debt repayment? As a women’s international peace organisation with 111 years’ experience addressing these issues, WILPF recognises that women carry a particularly heavy burden in this disturbing and inequitable situation.
Can we offer you our full support in your commitment, expressed at last month’s Labour conference, to “use the G20 presidency next year to meet our responsibilities and mobilise the world, building on the great achievements on debt and development of the last Labour government”. We will follow your progress with interest.
Yours in peace
