ABSTRACT
Following its election in May 1997, the Labour Government acted immediately to refocus and invigorate the UK’s international development assistance programme with a new pledge to direct efforts towards the elimination of poverty. A new Department for International Development (DFID) has been created, independent of the Foreign Office, with its own Minister in the Cabinet. The Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short, has approached her new role with energy and commitment. Within six months of taking office, she had released a White Paper on international development, 1 the first comprehensive government statement on development cooperation in 22 years.
