The International Rescue Committee (IRC) outlined the dire consequences of cutting UK aid spending.

The vice president of an international humanitarian aid charity has warned UK aid cuts will undermine global health and pose a risk to children’s lives. 

Bob Kitchen OBE, vice president, emergencies and humanitarian action, at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), has said we should be increasing our efforts to consolidate global health security, not scaling them back.

Writing for the medical journal the BMJ, Mr Kitchen said the UK has long been a leader in humanitarian aid, demonstrating that smart investment can tackle global challenges. 

However, he said the move by the UK to cut aid spending by £6bn - bringing the UK’s aid contribution to its lowest level in 25 years - threatens to undermine this legacy.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced last month that the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget would be reduced from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3%, diverting the spending to defence. 

The move has been widely condemned by NGOs, with Labour promising prior to entering government that they would reinstate ODA funding to the 0.7% level seen prior to 2021. 

The IRC is now warning that the humanitarian and health sectors were the largest areas of UK bilateral aid investment in 2023, and cutting them further “will  inevitably harm global health security, placing the weightiest burden on the world’s most vulnerable populations”.

With US aid cuts also in place, global health initiatives are under significant threat, with concerns over emerging gaps in childhood immunisation provision which could leave millions of lives at risk. 

Mr Kitchen wrote in the BMJ: “Investing in global health is not just a moral imperative but also a strategic and economic necessity. Firstly, ensuring that underserved communities are immunised is critical to preventing outbreaks that threaten both regional and global health security. Secondly, the return on investment is irrefutable. 

“While the UK government faces complex challenges in an increasingly unstable world, its aid budget has long been recognised for delivering high impact, cost effective solutions to people in greatest need. 

“The UK’s health investments have tackled urgent needs in some of the world’s most challenging contexts, with the children’s immunisation programme standing out as a success story among other shrewd aid interventions.

“For years, the UK’s aid budget has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy, mitigating the fallout from humanitarian crises and improving health outcomes worldwide. 

“In a world where conflict and climate change are amplifying the spread of infectious diseases and health threats from new unknown diseases continue to arise, we should be increasing our efforts to consolidate global health security, not scaling them back.”