# Business as usual won’t cut it, says International Development Secretary

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/27/business-usual-wont-cut-says-international-development-secretary/
- Published: 2018-02-27T13:26:29+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Speaking at yesterday’s (26 February) annual Bond Conference, International Development
Secretary Penny Mordaunt said that the recent sexual exploitation scandal had resulted
because of a failure by the sector to put the beneficiaries of aid first, and that
much change was needed.**

In her [speech](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/international-development-secretarys-speech-at-the-bond-conference)
at the [Bond](https://www.bond.org.uk/) Conference, Mordaunt said:

> “We failed to put the beneficiaries of aid first. The result was the grotesque
> fact of aid workers sexually exploiting the most vulnerable people, and threatening
> whistle-blowers if they protested.”
> 
> ## Advertisement
> 

She suggested that fundraising pressures, competition, and protecting charities’
reputations may have led to the problem of people not speaking out about sexual 
misconduct and called for the sector to put the needs of the beneficiaries of aid
first, to live up to the values of the nation, and have a ‘to be list’ as well as
a ‘to do list’ in order to right the current wrongs plaguing the sector.

Making these changes, Mordaunt said, would improve performance, enable others to
help, and gain the public’s support, who, she said _“continue to give but…on many
fronts they want us to raise our game: on what you do, on what I fund, and what 
together we can achieve.”_

In addition, Mordaunt drew attention to the Global Goals and said that the sector
was also failing on delivering these. She announced that she will shortly bring 
forward a new development offer focused on delivering the Goals that will require
significant changes in the way charities work, and will also see funding stop for
organisations that do not deliver.

She said:

> “It will require us to change where we work and who we work with, and greater 
> cooperation between DFID and our armed forces.
> “It will depend on the private sector.
> “It will require more sharing of data and working together.
> “It will compel us to leave no one behind.
> “It will make UK aid work harder – delivering for the world’s poor, but also for
> the UK’s security and prosperity, upon which UK aid depends.
> “It will require me to stop funding organisation that do not deliver our objectives,
> contribute to the Goals, or live up to our standards.”

Bond, the international development network for UK charities, recently published
a [letter from 22 charities ](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/26/22-charities-commit-better-action-safeguarding-joint-letter/)
in which they committed to better action on safeguarding, including [Oxfam GB](https://www.oxfam.org.uk/),
Plan [International](https://fundraising.co.uk/tag/international/) UK, [UNICEF UK](https://www.unicef.org.uk/),
Save the Children UK, WaterAid, and VSO.

 

Picture: Penny Mordaunt MP, Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh, 25 November 2017.
By Russell Watkins/Department for International Development

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