SIDA members and development NGOs react to the Prime Minister’s announcement that ODA will be cut from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3% by 2027.
Following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement on Tuesday 25th February that the UK Government will cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP by 2027 in order to help finance the UK defence budget, SIDA members and organisations across the sector have given their reactions, emphasising the devastating consequences of this decision.
Frances Guy, SIDA’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“SIDA and our members are extremely concerned about the Prime Minister’s decision to suddenly and drastically reduce the aid budget, which will have devastating consequences for the lives of millions of people around the world.”
“These cuts will cause significant harm in vulnerable communities around the world, who are already facing the consequences of the US decision to pause foreign aid spending. This short-sighted decision may seem straightforward to the Government, but it may prove in reality to be the more costly choice as people in developing countries are placed at greater risk of hunger, disease, conflict and climate change.”
Christian Aid’s Director of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns, Osai Ojigho, said:
“We must reject the false choice being spun between defence spending and fulfilling our responsibility to people in crisis. Ministers can show global leadership by taxing wealthy polluters and compelling private creditors to cancel debts to countries in crisis, but will they?”
SIDA member Save the Children UK also released a statement criticising the decision and highlighting the impact on the work of international organisations with presence in vulnerable regions around the world. Moazzam Malik, Chief Executive Officer for Save the Children UK, said:
“By jeopardising the UK’s partnership with countries across the world and international organisations, [this decision] signals a withdrawal from efforts to tackle climate change, global poverty and inequality, and conflict and humanitarian needs.”
Hannah Bond, CEO Chief Executive Officer for ActionAid UK, another SIDA member, said:
“there is no justification for abandoning the world’s most marginalised time and time again to navigate geopolitical developments. This is a political choice—one with devastating consequences. At a time when USAID has been gutted and development initiatives abandoned by one of the world’s largest donors, the UK government appears to be following suit rather than standing against this dangerous trend.”
In a statement, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), said:
“UK aid plays a vital role in supporting millions around the world who face extreme poverty, famine, conflict, gender-based violence, and lack of access to basic services like health and education… Aid is a much cheaper way to try to avoid conflicts from flaring up by investing in peace and security. This cut will absolutely undermine the UK’s standing with Global South countries and is an enormous strategic own goal.”
Sarah Champion, Chair of the House of Commons International Development Select Committee said the move was deeply shortsighted, adding:
“the deep irony is that development money can prevent wars & is used to patch up the consequences of them, cutting this support is counterproductive and I urge the government to rethink.”
Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development and humanitarian assistance said:
“This is a short-sighted and appalling move by both the PM and Treasury. Slashing the already diminished UK aid budget to fund an uplift in defence is a reckless decision that will have devastating consequences for millions of marginalised people worldwide.
Following in the US’s footsteps will not only undermine the UK’s global commitments and credibility, but also weaken our own national security interests. Instead of stepping up, the UK is turning its back on communities facing poverty, conflict and insecurity, further damaging its credibility on the global stage.
Tragically, this cut is even deeper than the last Conservative government’s and will destroy this Labour government’s reputation, tearing to shreds their previous manifesto commitments to rebuild the UK’s international reputation as a reliable global partner.”
More detail can be found on Bond’s website.