This White Paper is about delivering the promises made in 2005 at Gleneagles and responding to the four big challenges for international development.

First and foremost, the fight against poverty cannot be won without good governance. We need to help governments and citizens make politics work for the poor. And we need to make global governance better, because the international economy affects what happens in each country.

Second, we must help countries - especially those at risk of falling ever further behind the rest of the world - do better in ensuring security, achieving sustainable growth, and delivering health and education for all.

Third, if we do not act urgently, the threat posed by climate change will derail development.

And finally, because no country can do this alone, we must make the international system fit for the 21st century.

To this end, over the next five years, the UK will, in summary:

Deliver our promises

1. Fulfil the commitments we made in 2005, and work through the G8, United Nations, and European Union to ensure that our partners do the same.

2. Increase our development budget to 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2013 and, working with others, press ahead with innovative financing mechanisms like the International Finance Facility and an Air Solidarity Levy.

3. Concentrate our development assistance on countries with the largest numbers of poor people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; and on fragile states, especially those vulnerable to conflict.

4. Make sure that our wider policies, as well as aid, support development; and work with the European Union, G8 and others, including large developing countries such as China, India and South Africa, to create an international environment that promotes development.

5. Double our funding for science and technology research, including efforts to find better drugs, and new technologies for water treatment, agriculture and to manage climate change.

Help to build states that work for poor people

6. Put support for good governance at the centre of what we do, focusing on state capability, responsiveness and accountability, working in particular with citizens, civil society groups, parliamentarians and the media. Adopt a new 'quality of governance' assessment to guide the way in which we give UK aid, and launch a new £100 million Governance and Transparency Fund.

7. Tackle corruption; follow up the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative with further steps to bring greater transparency into public revenues and procurement; and work internationally to tackle bribery, corruption and money laundering.

8. Decide how to provide UK aid based on partner countries' commitment to reduce poverty, uphold human rights and international obligations, improve financial management, promote good governance and transparency, and fight corruption.

Help people have security, incomes, and public services

9. Work to help states promote peace and security. Where states are unable to protect their citizens, we will work with our international partners to prevent, manage and respond to conflict.

10. Promote rapid growth by supporting private sector development and employment, investing in infrastructure and agriculture, and working for international trade rules that maximise the opportunities for the poorest countries.

11. Commit at least half of all future UK direct support for developing countries to public services, to get children into school, improve healthcare, fight HIV and AIDS, provide more clean water and sanitation, and offer social protection; and agree ten year commitments with developing countries to do this.

12. Seek to make sure that growth is equitable, and that natural resources are used sustainably.

Work internationally to tackle climate change

13. Work for international agreements on climate change that stabilise greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, enable developing countries to grow, create incentives and generate investment for clean energy, and help poor countries to adapt to the impact.

14. Work with developing countries to make sure that they are fully involved in future international discussions on climate change, and provide international support to help developing countries adapt.

and create an international system fit for the 21st century.

15. Work with others, and use our resources and influence, to push for change in the international system. This means: reform of the UN; a more effective UN-led system to deal with humanitarian crises; more responsive international financial institutions; supporting the growing roles of regional organisations such as the African Development Bank and the African Union; and a strong focus on merit-based appointments, and greater accountability to developing countries.

16. Work more closely with European partners to promote development.

17. Push for the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee to monitor and hold donors to account on their development commitments, and to work more closely with new non-OECD donors such as India and China.