IDS response to the ODA cut
In response to the announcement, Professor Peter Taylor, Director, Institute of Development Studies, said:
“This is a devastating blow to the UK’s aid budget, which had already been drastically cut by the previous Conservative Government. It will sever the vital lifeline for people around the world who are most in need, cutting funding for life-saving vaccines, food supplies and development programmes, such as those supporting the rights of women and girls.
“It is a particularly cruel announcement within the context of the USAID funding freeze, which has seen such enormous and sudden funding cuts upend development and humanitarian work globally.
“At this time the UK should be stepping forward to fund more Official Development Assistance. Now more than ever, we need to double down on support for the poorest and most vulnerable in the world, to tackle our shared global challenges of climate change and deadly diseases, and to secure the value of aid as a vital tool for diplomacy and global influence.
“This reduction in aid of billions of pounds in real terms is a disappointing and short-sighted move from the new Labour Government. Increasing spending on defence should not come at the expense of development. Defence, diplomacy and development are intertwined, and all are needed for a secure, prosperous and globally influential UK.”
