UK Foreign Aid Cuts to Impact Africa Hardest

Bond, a UK network of aid organisations, stated that women and children in marginalized communities in Africa will be heavily impacted by the revealed UK foreign aid cuts. The cuts this year will mainly affect Africa, leading to reduced spending on women's health and water sanitation, increasing the risks of disease and death.

The UK government announced a 40% reduction in foreign aid spending, from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income, to boost defense spending to 2.5% following pressure from the US. The cuts will particularly affect children's education and women's health in Africa, as well as funding for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Despite the reductions, support for multilateral aid bodies like the Gavi vaccine alliance will be maintained. The UK also plans to continue its humanitarian role in areas such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. The government emphasized the need for aid to be more efficient and focused on key priorities.

Bond expressed concerns over the deprioritization of funding for education, gender, and humanitarian crises in countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The organization highlighted that marginalized communities, especially those in conflict and women and girls, will bear the brunt of these political decisions.

Foreign aid has faced scrutiny, with public support dwindling. The UK had previously committed to allocating 0.7% of national income to overseas aid, but the budget was reduced to 0.5% in 2021 due to economic challenges posed by Covid.

According to the source: BBC.