The UK Government announced overseas development funding would be cut by 40%.
Leading international charities and aid organisations have said the UK’s decision to cut development funding will have dire consequences on the world’s ability to tackle the climate emergency.
The UK is the latest wealthy nation to announce cuts to its overseas aid budget, with the amount of the UK’s gross national income (GNI) being spent on Official Development Assistance (ODA) being cut from 0.5% to 0.3%.
This is despite the UK Government agreeing to step up climate finance to developing countries at COP29 last year.
ODA was previously cut to 0.5% by the Conservatives from the previous 0.7%, a position which was widely criticised by the incoming Labour government, who had promised to reinstate ODA to the 0.7% level.
Teresa Anderson of ActionAid International told Climate Home News: “When we’ve just had the hottest January on record and humanitarian crises are at an all-time high, the UK government’s decision to slash its [overseas development assistance] budget is deeply shameful.”
Others warned of the link between global security and the threat posed by climate change.
In a statement, Action on Hunger said: “The Prime Minister’s decision to cut UK Aid to 0.3% of GNI is not compatible with his stated commitments to the people of Sudan, Gaza, and Syria, as well as his pledge to address the global security threat posed by climate change.
“These cuts come on top of widespread reductions in aid from major donor governments, leaving millions – men, women, and children – around the world trapped in violent conflict with no access to food, water, or basic means of survival. Beyond the devastating human impact, this decision undermines Britain’s long-standing role as a global leader in international development, damaging the UKs diplomatic credibility and weakening our ability to prevent future crises.
“The Prime Minister framing his decision as a ‘tough choice’ is misleading. There is nothing brave about slashing life-saving aid while his government could have looked to measures like addressing the £35bn lost in unpaid taxes the UK misses out on each year. This is not fiscal responsibility – it is a weak and indefensible decision that risks abandoning the 300m people around the world who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.”
Clare Shakya, of The Nature Conservancy, told Climate Home News: “We were expecting to hear new climate finance commitments by the rich countries to build confidence in the poorest and emerging economies that they can afford to be ambitious in their climate targets“If we do not peak emissions as close to 1.5C as feasible and halt biodiversity’s decline, we will be facing many more security challenges in the coming years. The timing of this news from the UK could not be worse.”
