The UK has prioritised poverty reduction over self-interest in its new overseas aid programme allocations, development minister Jenny Chapman has said.
Baroness Chapman’s remarks came on the same day that the government unveiled details of its 40 per cent cut to the aid budget – described by many in the development space as "catastrophic" – which will see the UK prioritise spending on fragile and conflict-affected regions, particularly Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza.
Speaking during a keynote speech outlining the UK’s new development policy at an event with the Center for Global Development, Baroness Chapman said £2 billion in UK funding for the World Bank’s International Development Association – which funds projects in the world’s 75 poorest countries – as well as £650 million for the Africa Development Bank’s Africa Development Fund represented the UK’s new attitude towards aid in practice.
“We could put all our money into bilateral relationships, and we could have leveraged it to get things that we want,” she said. “We have actively decided not to do that, and are going through these two particular multilateral choices because they disproportionately benefit Africa.”
The UK position marks a notable contrast to that of the US, which has used aid as leverage for deals around trade and critical minerals, and also signed health compacts with African countries that include stipulations around data sharing as well as Christian ideology.
“We have to remember why we do this: It's a fight against hunger, disease and insecurity, to build a world free from poverty on a liveable planet,” Baroness Chapman said.“There are people who tell me: Oh you should be using your aid budget for other things, or to enhance this or that. But nobody wins if that is your mindset”.
Nigeria’s chief government spokesperson told The Independent this week that stipulations based around religion are unhelpful for a country like Nigeria, as they risk “fanning the flames” of division.
In contrast to Baroness Chapman’s comments, many UK NGOs have expressed serious dismay at the impact that the aid cuts will have on efforts to address poverty and development challenges in the Global South, particularly with the 56 per cent cut in bilateral aid to Africa over the next three years.
“We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to support women and girls and move away from supporting some richer countries, as well as news that fragile and conflict-affected states including Gaza, Sudan, and Lebanon will continue to be supported this year,” said Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for NGOs.
“[But] the allocations show the harsh reality of Labour’s cuts to the UK aid budget, the steepest in the G7 – lives lost, the UK’s reputation in tatters, and a poorer, more unequal and unstable world for us all.”
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
