Mercy Corps Statement on UK Autumn Budget

30 October 2024

Today, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves presented Labour’s first budget since being elected to government. The budget includes departmental allocations for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for 2024-25 and 2025-26 and drops the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget down from 0.58% of GNI in 23-24 to 0.5% of GNI for 24-25 and 25-26, which means a real terms cut for UK aid.

Selena Victor, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy for Europe said: 

"We urge the government to return to spending 0.7% of GDP on oversees aid urgently. Times are tough indeed, but investing in development – in stability, poverty reduction, disease prevention, education, economic development, peace - is a down payment on our shared future prosperity. While failure to do so is just building future costs – in terms of both humanitarian needs and lives lost.”

“If the UK is to return to a leadership role in development, it must not only respond to crises but act on their key causes – climate change and conflict. At the upcoming COP29 summit in Azerbaijan the UK has an opportunity to support bold action on climate change and ramp up our commitment to climate finance. Meanwhile the UK’s investment in peacebuilding has dwindled to a paltry 2% of ODA – we call on the UK to double this. In a world of mounting climate and conflict-fueled humanitarian crises, this is nothing short of a moral imperative.”

 

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