Christian Aid has paid tribute to Rory Stewart upon his coming departure as Secretary of State at the Department for International Development (DfID), and looks forward to the new government working to make net zero a reality and retaining the crucial commitment to 0.7% aid spending on the world’s poorest.
Daisy-Rose Srblin, Christian Aid’s Senior UK Advocacy Adviser, said: “We are especially grateful for Rory Stewart’s commitment to addressing the injustice of the climate emergency which is already having the biggest impact on the people who did least to cause it. We applaud his focus on the localisation - putting those on the front line of the fight against poverty in the driving seat.
“More broadly, as we see a change of government personnel, we appreciate Theresa May’s defence of the 0.7% aid target and the fact that her government committed the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions before 2050.
“Under the leadership of Boris Johnson, we look forward to fast and radical action from the new government to turn that net zero target into a reality. The global climate emergency is the single biggest challenge of our age, and will compound the poverty experienced by many of the most marginalised communities, which is why protecting 0.7% target - and the spirit behind it - is more important than ever.”
