U.K. leaves "Washington Consensus" on aid to poor countries

Community Action, March 21, 2005

LONDON -- Britain will break with the "Washington Consensus" which has guided the aid policies of donor nations. The UK government will no longer urge poor countries to privatize large swaths of industry (including their health systems) or open their markets to foreign trade overnight as a condition for receiving development aid.

International development secretary, Hilary Benn said the UK government is proposing that donors focus more on outcomes such as the number of children in school or levels of poverty rather than the specific means to achieve them.