In July, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published the expected effects of the UK’s spending on Official Development Assistance (ODA) over the next 2 years. Since the cuts to the UK’s ODA spending in 2021, it has been obvious that the UK would provide much less support to the most vulnerable people, including those affected by conflicts and natural disasters, and the most marginalised groups including women and girls and people with disabilities.
Their ‘Equality Impact Assessment’ confirms the serious human toll of the UK’s reduction of ODA, currently 0.55% of Gross National Income (GNI). While this is tough reading, the FCDO should be applauded for making this assessment available publicly and honestly. As well as continuing to be transparent about the reduced impact of the UK’s development assistance, the Government should return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA as soon as possible.
This month, please ask the UK Government to publish regular Equality Impact Assessments of UK ODA, and to return ODA spending to 0.7% of GNI as soon as possible, to ensure that UK development assistance is focused on ending poverty and inequality.
Image: Action Against Hunger’s health facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: UNICEF/Helene Sandbu Ryeng