Twenty years ago this weekend, the leaders of the world’s most powerful countries, chaired by Tony Blair, gathered at the Scottish golf resort of Gleneagles and made a series of historic promises on debt relief and overseas aid.
It was the culmination of a long-running public campaign involving charities, churches and celebrities, and benefited from the passionate commitment of Gordon Brown, for whom international development is a lifelong cause.
A few days before, more than 200,000 campaigners had gathered in Edinburgh and formed a noisy, joyful human chain, demanding that the world’s leaders “make poverty history”.
As a result of the momentum created and the promises made, international aid increased – and 36 countries…
