[TITLE] Priority of the Official Development Assistance Budget

 

Your Full Name: [ADD HERE]

Address: [ADD HERE]

Post Code: [ADD HERE]

Contact Number: [ADD HERE]

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Dear [Your MP’s Name],

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I hope this email finds you well. 

 

As a local constituent and supporter of The Borgen Project (www.borgenproject.uk and www.borgenproject.org), I am reaching out to you personally to request your support in prioritising the Official Development Aid (ODA) budget in Parliament and beyond. 

 

I have reviewed the report of the House of Commons which stated that the UK's support for ODA will not be increased to the target of 0.7%, and this is a cause for concern. Given the current political climate, with ongoing conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis, it is critical that we do not lose sight of those who are most in need – those living in extreme poverty. The ODA target is an essential step towards securing a stable future for these individuals and opening new markets for UK companies.

 

As an elected representative, I believe you have the power to help make a difference on this issue. I would like to request that you take the following actions:

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1) Write to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and HM Treasury to express your support for the campaign to raise the ODA budget back to 0.7%.

2) Raise the issue in written and oral questions in the House of Commons, including any committees on which you sit in.

3) Use your communication channels, including social media and relevant meetings, to publicly pledge your support to secure funding for ODA programmes that support fighting global poverty, such as the Prosperity Fund.

4) Work with fellow MP’s and stakeholders to build a cross-party consensus in support of the campaign.

5) Lobby the government to allocate more resources to ODA by arguing that the UK's international reputation and influence are at stake.

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I believe that your support can play a crucial role in securing funding for ODA programmes that support fighting global poverty, and I hope that you will consider my request.

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Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Yours sincerely,
[Your Full Name] 

Borgen Project Ambassador

www.borgenproject.uk
www.borgenproject.org

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TEMPLATE TWO

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[TITLE] Please further support Official Development Assistance (ODA); Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
 

Dear [Insert MP Name],

 

As a constituent within your district and supporter of The Borgen Project (www.borgenproject.uk/ and www.borgenproject.org) I am writing to you today to prioritise further life-saving aid in subsequent foreign aid relief bills and to provide further aid to those in our partner countries. By doing so we can help others less fortunate than ourselves and hopefully provide some benefit while we currently navigate through this uncertain time.  The Official Development Assistance (ODA) legislation is an important part of stabilising the future for these individuals, and an important step to opening new markets for UK companies.

 

If you could please support issues like these in the future within Parliament as these issues are relevant within our community and to me personally.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Full Name] 

Borgen Project Ambassador

www.borgenproject.uk
www.borgenproject.org

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TEMPLATE THREE

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[TITLE] Concerns Regarding UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) Budget

Full Name: [ADD HERE]
Address: [ADD HERE]
Post Code: [ADD HERE]
Contact Number: [ADD HERE]

Dear [MP Name], 

I am a constituent and supporter of The Borgen Project (www.borgenproject.uk and www.borgenproject.org). I am writing to you today because I am concerned that reductions in the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will have an impact on crucial programmes that support fighting global poverty. 
 
The ODA's Prosperity fund is one of the ODA programmes that has been significantly harmed by these budget cuts and is a matter that I am particularly concerned about. The Prosperity Fund was a £1.2 billion ODA initiative that began operation in 2016 and was supposed to run until 2023. However, cuts to the ODA budget led to the fund being closed in 2021 without fulfilling its aims. The objective of the fund was to focus on middle-income countries eligible for Official Development Assistance and implement programs that helped reform business environments, combat corruption, support green finance, support new forms of finance and support disaster protection. For example, in South Africa, a programme supported by the prosperity fund helped reduce the number of days required for business registration from 45 to 40, improving the process of starting a business. Hence, the prosperity fund was a useful tool for promoting economic development in developing nations and assisting in the fight against global poverty. This is important because rising levels of global poverty will increase child mortality, hunger, environments for infectious diseases to grow, terrorist cells to grow, instability to grow and cause conflict that threatens UK’s national interests. Therefore, the UK should earmark an increase in ODA funding to support The Prosperity Fund as originally intended. 
 
I am asking you to take the following steps to address my concerns:  
 
1) Publicly pledge your support to secure funding to deliver The Prosperity Fund through your communications, social media, relevant meetings and speeches.
2) Write to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and HM Treasury in support of the campaign.
3) Raise this issue in written and oral questions in the House of Commons, including any committees on which you sit in.
 
Please do keep me informed of any progress made.

I look forward to hearing from you.
 
[Your full name]

Borgen Project Ambassador

www.borgenproject.uk
www.borgenproject.org