The UK government has unveiled the details of its controversial foreign aid cuts, confirming a 40% reduction in spending and highlighting severe impacts on women’s health and children’s education programmes, particularly in Africa.
The aid budget, previously set at 0.5% of the country’s gross national income (GNI), will now be slashed to 0.3%. According to officials, the decision is part of a strategic shift to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GNI, following pressure from allies including the United States.
A newly released report and impact assessment from the Foreign Office revealed that Africa will bear the brunt of the reductions. Critical funding for maternal health, clean water, and education will face significant cuts, raising risks of disease outbreaks and increased mortality.
“This deprioritisation will hurt women and children in the world’s most marginalised communities,” said Bond, a UK-based network of aid organisations. “It is deeply concerning that bilateral funding for gender, education, and health will drop, especially in conflict-affected regions like South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
While spending on direct bilateral aid will decline, the government has said contributions to multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and the Gavi vaccine alliance will be maintained. The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is set to receive £1.98 billion over the next three years, which it says will benefit nearly 1.9 billion people globally.
Baroness Chapman, the UK’s Minister for Development, defended the decision, saying: “Every pound must work harder for UK taxpayers and the people we help around the world. These figures show how we are starting to do just that through having a clear focus and priorities.”
She added that the new aid framework follows a “line-by-line strategic review” to prioritise ongoing humanitarian support and exit responsibly from lower-impact programmes.
Critics, however, argue the cuts contradict previous government promises. “At a time when the US has gutted all gender programming, the UK should be stepping up, not stepping back,” said Gideon Rabinowitz, policy director at Bond.
The Occupied Palestinian Territories are expected to see a 21% reduction in UK aid—despite earlier commitments to maintain support.
Funding to Sudan and other crisis-affected regions may also decline, though the Foreign Office has yet to publish the full list of affected countries.
Foreign aid spending has been a polarising issue in UK politics. The 0.7% target, championed by Labour leaders Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was enshrined in law in 2015.
The current Conservative government reduced it to 0.5% in 2021, citing the financial strain of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, with the latest shift to 0.3%, aid advocates warn that Britain is retreating from its global commitments at a time when humanitarian needs are rising.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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