Last week local MP Mark Pawsey met with the Rt. Hon. Desmond Swayne MP, Minister of State in the Department for International Development and Dr Shabin Joshi, vice president of the Nepalese Doctors Association UK (NDAUK). Dr Joshi, who has travelled to Nepal on a number of occasions, wished to raise the UK’s response to the recent earthquake in Nepal with Ministers and highlight the valuable contribution the UK can make in this region.
Mark said:
“I was very pleased to be able to introduce Dr Joshi to the Minister responsible for aid in Asia. I have met with Dr Joshi before and was very interested by what he had to say about how the UK can help Nepal, especially in light of the recent devastating earthquake there.”
Mark continued:
“It was a very constructive meeting and the Minister was very receptive to the comments made by Dr Joshi in respect of how best to utilise British Aid to support the Nepalese authorities.”
Dr Joshi said after the meeting:
“Nepal and the UK have enjoyed two hundred years of friendship both between our governments and our people's. The UK has historically been the biggest foreign aid donor to Nepal. The critical role it played in the aftermath of the recent earthquake cannot be exaggerated. DFID can continue make bilateral development projects more effective by tapping the expertise of the local expatriates.”
Mark concluded:
“The UK has a moral duty to help those who truly need it and I am proud of this government’s commitment to the 0.7% target set out by the UN. I think that it is right that we use our aid budget to support those suffering from natural disasters, as well as to help developing countries to improve their standard of living.”