Did Douglas deliver?

Two short weeks ago Douglas Alexander, the UK Secretary of State for International Development, made a trip to Washington in the USA. Mr Alexander went there to go to the bank.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this was a long way to go. After all, many high street banks have been making cuts recently, but a long-haul flight to your local branch would be bordering on ridiculous.

But Mr Alexander wasn't on his way to check his balance, or to cancel a standing order to his Mum. He was on his way to the annual meetings of the World Bank - the bank that makes loans to developing countries.

Loans made by the World Bank are meant to aid development, and in the end help the recipient poor country governments tackle poverty. But unfortunately it doesn't always work out like that. The thing is that the loans it makes have strings attached. When those strings are privatisation of public services or liberalisation, they can actually end up being counterproductive, and can ultimately push poor people further into poverty.

To get Mr Alexander to sort things out, supporters of ActionAid, Christian Aid, Jubilee Debt Campaign and Oxfam, lobbied him to do everything he could to stop the World Bank from attaching the damaging conditions to loans and debt relief.

The lobbying was part of events around the world that took place for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, or Whiteband Day as it's also known.

So, did Douglas Alexander deliver? Well, he did publicly state that conditions attached to World Bank loans and debt relief must not push the world's poorest people further into poverty. But to be honest, we were hoping for real action, and not just more statements.

More than 43 million people took part in Whiteband Day worldwide. From schools and faith groups, to people in refugee camps. With so many joining in and standing up and speaking out against poverty, governments taking part in the World Bank meetings could have done better by matching the actions of their citizens and demonstrating their will to end extreme poverty.

Together, we're keeping the pressure on by campaigning for a world where everyone has access to health and education. We're aiming for six million people to join us worldwide. You can join us and remind world leaders that more action is needed.