ActionAid UK responds to deeply concerning ICAI report on the state of UK aid
LONDON - UK aid organisation ActionAid UK has responded to the deeply concerning Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) report into UK aid effectiveness. The report issued by the widely-respected body lays bare the extent of cuts made by the UK Government to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget since 2020. In response, and due to these cuts, ActionAid UK argues that a spectrum of marginalised groups including refugees, and women and girls, are paying the price of Government mismanagement and decision-making.
Dr. Halima Begum, Chief Executive at ActionAid UK, said: “The findings of the ICAI review are nothing short of disastrous for those whose lives are supported by UK aid. They also represent a serious setback for a country whose competence and commitment to delivering international aid made us a world leader. Sadly, this report reveals that over the last three years since DFID was dismantled, the FCDO has presided over a series of cuts and own goals that leave little doubt Britain’s reputation in the world has been diminished and sent progress in areas like gender equality into reverse.
She added: “From ActionAid’s perspective, the cuts represent a devastating body blow to women and girls’ rights. After the pandemic and amid an ongoing global cost of living crisis, this vulnerable group is being more and more sidelined by a government that, for instance, is increasingly blurring the lines between aid and trade rather than prioritising long-term and meaningful action on issues like gender equality.”
The report highlights that the UK’s support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was cut by 85% in 2021 – the second biggest of any of the cuts. UNFPA estimates that if these funds had been provided by the UK government as pledged, they could have averted 47 million unintended pregnancies, 813,000 maternal and child deaths and 14.4 million unsafe abortions.
At the same time, ICAI also made clear that a huge chunk of the ODA budget is being used to plug gaps in the UK’s failing asylum system.
Responding to this concern, Begum said: “The problematically titled “Illegal Migration Act” represents a failure in our moral obligations towards asylum-seekers. It also facilitated a money-grab on a staggering 29% of the ODA budget in 2022 to cover for its own shortcomings, for instance, the cost of housing asylum seekers on barges. It is of course right that the UK supports asylum seekers and refugees – wherever in the world they come from – but this should not be at the expense of an already depleted ODA budget.”
“Time and again the government has claimed it would return the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP when the financial situation allows it. Given that the UK is currently wasting £6.8m a day on hotel costs, the arguments it makes on ODA spend appear entirely contradictory.”
At the same time, ICAI points to widespread “safe-guarding lapses” it was told about in advance regarding ODA-funded accommodation, and how these risks might further endanger women and girls.
“For refugees making the journey to the UK, sadly the route is fraught with dangers, and safety is even harder to come by as a result of the UK’s hostile environment policy. And given the risks women in particular face on their journey - not least trafficking, gender-based violence and the threat of slavery - it’s unconscionable to see so clearly how the UK’s policies are actively prolonging their exposure to risk.”
ActionAid UK further argues that the government’s decisions around aid have severely damaged the UK's reputation as a reliable and sector-leading international partner.
“ICAI’s report makes clear the life-saving impact of ODA. In betraying its promises to women and girls, the Government has massively undermined its credibility as a champion of gender equality and as a ‘development superpower’. It needs to act fast and with conviction if that reputation is to be restored.
“The evidence in this independent report is incontrovertible. We would urge the Prime Minister to consider the country’s reputation and to end the dog whistle politics that so undermine the discourse around refugees. We need to live up to our responsibilities and reverse the damaging cuts to the ODA budget that now risk Britain being complicit in harming lives rather than saving them.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
Dr. Halima Begum, Chief Executive at ActionAid UK, and Hannah Bond, Deputy Director of Advocacy, are available for interview on request
Contact the ActionAid UK press office on uk.media@actionaid.org or on 07753 973 486