Delivering the development message: why it matters

The last eight years have seen a huge amount of British support for international development generated through campaigns such as Live Aid, Jubilee 2000 and Make Poverty History. The public responses to natural disasters illustrate that support, and the impact that ordinary people can have. But will support be sustained if the economy enters a down-turn? Is it enough to focus on poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals? Should self-interest play a part in telling the development story?

At this ODI event, Gillian Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development will share her thoughts on why reducing global poverty is one of the major challenges for all of us here in the UK, and why we need to do more to raise the public profile of development issues.  Her presentation will be followed by comments from ODI Director,  Simon Maxwell, and a question and answer session.