the UK’s responsibility to help end poverty
Today, almost 700 million people live in extreme poverty – defined as living on less than $2.15 per day – mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. However, poverty is also about quality of life, not just a lack of money. According to the 2024 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index , 1.1 billion people (over half of whom are children) live in “multidimensional poverty”, lacking access to things like education,
healthcare, nutrition, and clean water and sanitation.
Progress at reducing poverty over recent decades has stalled amid low growth, setbacks due to COVID-19, and increased insecurity and conflict.
Back in 1970, the United Nations set a target for wealthy ‘donor’ nations to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) to poorer ‘developing’ countries – 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI). As one of the world’s richest countries, the United Kingdom has a moral responsibility to help combat global poverty, including through reaching the 0.7% target. Yet in February 2025, the UK Government announced a reduction of its ODA budget to just 0.3% of GNI, to help fund increased military spending.
As well as providing ‘aid’ through ODA, the UK must ensure that the international development programmes it funds aim to bring about a more just, fair and equal global community, which allows every individual, wherever they are born or live, to lead a healthy, happy and fulfilled life.
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Your voice counts! Email your MP below about the UK’s responsibility to help end poverty around the world,
The UK Government’s Support for International Development
Dear [MP’s Name],
I am writing to you as a constituent of yours and someone who is deeply concerned about the UK’s support for international development. As well as helping countries develop economically, the UK’s efforts must focus on reducing poverty and ensure a more just and equal global community, allowing every person, wherever they are born, to lead a healthy, happy and fulfilled life. This means ensuring people have access to their rights to things like education, healthcare, and adequate nutrition, by working in partnership with local communities to meet their aspirations.
The UK has long been a powerful supporter of global development efforts; yet the cuts announced in February 2025 to our Official Development Assistance budget to just 0.3% of Gross National Income go directly against these aims. As you will know, the UK’s ODA budget saves lives and combats poverty around the world, helping create ‘a world free from poverty on a livable planet’. It is disappointing to see this Government make the decision to deprioritise the fight to end poverty, after such great progress in international development over several decades.
At a time of increased geopolitical instability, it is understandable that countries such as the UK wish to increase their defence budgets. But it is insupportable to do so at the cost of essential services relied upon by people and communities around the world.
I urge you to write to the Foreign Secretary, pressing her to reprioritise international development as a critical part of the UK’s foreign policy – including by the restoration of the 0.7% aid commitment – and to press the Foreign Secretary to outline clearly how the Government intends to achieve this.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]