CUTTING foreign aid will “cost lives” the Foreign Secretary has been told in a stark warning from more than 200 international development organisations.
In an open letter to Liz Truss, the heads of hundreds of leading aid charities and organisations warned that plans for a “radical” review of the Government’s international development spending would have grave consequences for the planet’s poorest people.
It comes after The Telegraph reported the Foreign Secretary wants to reorder the priorities of international spending, moving the focus away from climate change to protecting women and girls in the developing world.
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But charities have warned such a move would be “short-sighted” in the letter organised by Bond, the UK network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
They said: “These are areas where the UK has a strong track record of impact and significant expertise and this move will undermine the UK’s ability to play our part globally in tackling urgent challenges, increasing security, and eradicating poverty.
“Withdrawing funding from one crisis to pay for another simply displaces the problem and ultimately does not reduce the costs. The right decision would be to restore the UK’s 0.7% GNI on Official Development Assistance commitment.”
It goes on to say that the UK cannot claim to be a “country that provides solutions and plays its part in the world” if it abandons commitments to spend its aid budget in a way that can “respond to and prevent crises”.
“Withdrawing funding from one crisis to pay for another simply displaces the problem and ultimately does not reduce the costs,” the letter said.
The SNP’s international development spokesperson Chris Law said: “If these reckless cuts go ahead then the UK's ability to respond to some of the biggest challenges facing the world will be significantly reduced.”
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He noted the past decade has seen “an increase in violent conflict globally”, warning: “The dire reality is that the world isn’t getting more equal, more stable and more secure.”
The UK must restore its commitment to spending 0.7% of its gross national income on foreign aid rather than “cutting aid further”, said Law.
He added: “This is the moment for the UK Government to be strengthening its efforts on the international stage and playing its role.
“These reported plans to cut aid funding on health, climate change and conflict support are dangerous and – as NGOs have made clear – could cost lives.”
A UK Government spokesperson said a new international development strategy will be published in this Spring and will "set out how we deliver our climate change and health commitments, as well as restoring funding for women and girls and humanitarian work this year".
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