International peace and securityBritain is pledged to maintain effective defence while seeking to reduce tension in the world. It and the other NATO member states have been working with the new democracies of Central Europe, Russia and the other republics of the former Soviet Union in a new co-operation council and in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). Britain is also helping to develop the Western European Union as a European defence pillar in order to strengthen NATO's European strategy. In addition to welcoming United States-Russian initiatives on nuclear weapons control and the expansion in the number of states participating in the CSCE, Britain has signed the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, which allows military activities in the European continent to be checked by air. The Government has also ratified the 1991 agreement reducing the level of European conventional forces, and has been involved in discussions on a chemical weapons ban.
Aid and development Britain's overseas aid programme aims to promote sustainable economic and social progress, and the alleviation of poverty. Britain, which is the world's sixth largest aid donor, provides development assistance to over 120 countries. In 1990-91 gross British aid was worth £1,688 million. Of this, £1,021 million was bilateral, with some 80 per cent going to the poorest countries. Britain's humanitarian assistance in 1990-91 reached £156 million; drought aid to Southern Africa alone was more than £48 million. Most bilateral British aid goes to Commonwealth developing countries. International organisations received £628 million, including the European Community (£310 million), the World Bank (£159 million), the United Nations agencies (£78 million) and regional development banks (£35 million). Britain believes that sustainable development requires the implementation of sound economic policies in the developing countries. To assist states carrying out UN/EC economic reform programmes, it has committed or pledged £550 million to help low-income African countries, while other British aid from the Community and the World Bank is also available to developing countries.
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