Oxfam's Election guide to tackling poverty

Global poverty, climate change, conflict and the economic crisis are already having a devastating impact on the world’s poorest people. The next UK government must tackle these problems head on, and show the ambition, ideas and commitment to make the UK a global leader against poverty.

What's needed?

Aid | Climate change | Finance for development | Protecting civilians | UK poverty

Spend 0.7% of national income on aid by 2013

Aid really does work, but the UK aid budget is miniscule compared to other government spending areas.

Aid has helped to move 33 million children from the field or the factory to the classroom in the last decade. There has been a 50 per cent increase in people with HIV/AIDS receiving treatment since 2006.

Currently the UK's spending on aid is at 0.56% of national income, so from this year to 2013 the next government must set out a plan of year on year increases in aid spending to reach the vital 0.7 target set by the UN. If the UK achieves this it will be the first G8 country to do so. By leading the rest of the world the UK will set the bar high and encourage other rich countries to follow suit.

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Reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2020 and provide the UK's fair share of the money poor countries need to fight climate change

Climate change is already hitting the world's poorest people hardest. Without action, most of the gains that the world's poorest countries have made in development over the last 50 years will be lost. Unchecked, climate change could cause greater hunger (as crops become harder to grow), water more scarce, and lead to greater health risks from diseases like malaria.

In order to keep global warming below 2°C – which is what the science tells us we have to do stop irreversible climate change – the UK should help ensure rich countries cut their carbon emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

The UK and other rich countries are responsible for climate change so the UK must help poor countries deal with the consequences. The UK must provide its fair share of the money needed – $200bn each year by 2020 to help poor countries adapt to climate change and move towards low carbon development.

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This money must be additional to the aid target of 0.7%. Poor countries need aid to build schools and hospitals – money to help them adapt to climate change should come on top of this so that poor countries don't have to choose between the two.

This is a lot of money, but here's an idea of how to raise money on top of the UK's aid commitments...

Implement a tiny tax on financial transactions to raise the billions needed for development and climate change

The global economic crisis is hurting poor country economies – they have lost up to $50bn already – but the crisis is also a great opportunity to reform the way the global economy works.

Through a tiny 'Robin Hood' tax on financial transactions (like stocks and shares), set at a rate of 0.05% internationally, we could raise up to $400bn a year, and tens of billions for the UK economy. This revenue for the UK should be split 50:50 – half could go towards tackling the UK deficit (thereby safeguarding British jobs and public services) and the rest could be split between international development and climate change.

This tax is fair, it's achievable and it won't cost the UK taxpayer a penny.

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Make the UK a world leader in protection for civilians and deliver an Arms Trade Treaty in 2012

From the DR Congo to Afghanistan, civilians need protection from conflict. The next government should make the UK a world leader in the protection of civilians threatened by conflict, ensuring a shift from policies that have failed in Afghanistan and elsewhere, so that protecting civilians is the single most important objective in every crisis. This approach should be applied in all the UK's diplomacy, as well as in the operations of UK troops.

This means being consistent in condemning war crimes, serious human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, and calling for those responsible to be brought to justice. It is important to apply a single standard in condemning all such abuses, whoever commits them.

The next government must also press for the successful conclusion of negotiations for a strong and robust Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in 2012, and once an effective treaty is agreed, press for it to be implemented immediately worldwide.

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Remove structural causes of poverty in the UK

More than 13 million people in the UK, the world's 5th richest country, live in poverty. This isn't about drought or war but it's every bit as real.

The next government must act to end poverty at home, as well as abroad. This means protecting and improving rights at work, demanding equality, regardless of gender or race, making our tax and spend plans truly progressive, and ensuring that the state helps rather than hinders individuals’ and communities' efforts to escape the poverty trap.

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