The countries where UK foreign aid cuts could lead to thousands of deaths

Yemenis displaced by the conflict, receive food aid and supplies to meet their basic needs (Photo by Khaled Ziad / AFP)

Hundreds of thousands of women could die in childbirth or due to unsafe abortions as a result of cuts to the UK aid budget^[1], an internal Government document has warned.

The assessment by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO)^[2] has been published by the Commons International Development Committee, which released it in full on Wednesday.

It warns that many thousands of people could be at greater risk of gender-based violence and malnutrition, or could miss out on education or crucial humanitarian support as a result of the cuts.

In November 2020, the Government announced it would reduce the amount spent on overseas aid from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of GDP.

This reduction was described as a “temporary measure” in response to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on both public finances and the UK economy.

The Chancellor claimed in his 2022 Autumn Statement that aid spending isn’t expected to be restored to its pre-pandemic levels until 2027.

The UK spent £15.1bn on aid in 2019 before the budget was cut to £14.5bn in 2020 and £11.5bn in 2021.

The figure rose again in 2022 to £12.8bn but is still significantly below pre-pandemic levels^[3].

According to the FCDO, departmental spending on overseas aid is due to increase from £7.4bn in 2023-24 to £8.3bn in 2024-2025 – a figure which does not include aid spending by other departments.

Many allocations for overseas aid were cut by the Chancellor in last year’s Autumn Statement “due to pressure from the unforeseen cost of supporting Ukrainian and Afghan refugees^[4]”, the document claims.

The assessment outlined the countries and agencies that had seen the biggest cuts due to a £900m drop in the department’s Overseas Development Assistant budget.

Here are the countries that have seen the biggest cuts:

• Afghanistan – cut by £191m (76 per cent)
• Jordan – cut by £22m (49 per cent)
• Myanmar – cut by £27m (47 per cent)
• Pan Africa – cut by £47m (46 per cent)
• Yemen – cut by £45m (45 per cent)
• Syria – cut by £39m (45 per cent)
• Nepal – cut by £19m (39 per cent)
• Somalia – cut by £37m (38 per cent)
• South Sudan – cut by £30m (38 per cent)
• Nigeria – cut by £38m (34 per cent)
• Ethiopia – cut by £37m (29 per cent)
• Democratic Republic of the Congo – cut by £18m (29 per cent)

Numerous other teams and agencies are also set to see cuts including the Girls’ Education Department, which is set to see a 46 per cent cut in funding, and the Human Development Department, which is set to see a 48 per cent cut.

According to the FCDO’s own internal assessment, the cuts in aid could lead to hundreds of thousands of additional deaths and would “affect some of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalised people”.

This particularly includes women, girls and people with disabilities, as well as those affected by malnutrition and poverty in parts of Africa.

The report claims that cuts to the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Programme could mean that up to 200,000 more women could die due to unsafe abortions, while around 1,500 could die in childbirth.

Afghanistan: The 76 per cent cut to funding means the FCDO “will not be able to support critical services for women and girls” impacted by Taliban restrictions which are “systematically erasing them from public spaces”. Cuts will also mean children miss out on support for malnutrition and vaccinations and are at greater risk of injury due to land mines.

Ethiopia: 41,700 teachers will miss out on teacher training, meaning 333,000 children could miss out on an education, and up to 8,000 children with disabilities will be unable to benefit from support and improved learning environments. Cuts to crisis support also meant that 350,000 people were not provided with basic cash or food assistance.

Myanmar: Rohingya communities, which have been subject to persecution and genocide in Myanmar, will miss out on vital support. There are currently 126,000 internally displaced Rohingya people living in camps in the country, and a further 430,000 are unable to leave their villages.

South Sudan: 27,000 children with severe malnutrition will not receive treatment, of which up to 3,000 could die as a result. Over half a million children could also miss out on vaccinations. 100,000 people will not receive information on gender-based violence, and around 1,860 will miss out on education to prevent it in their communities.

Somalia: Programmes aimed at preventing female genital mutilation (FGM) in Somalia – where 9 in 10 girls undergo the practice – could be delayed and may have to “potentially stop altogether”.

Yemen: Up to half a million women and children in Yemen may not receive essential healthcare and “fewer preventable deaths will be avoided” as a result of the cuts.

The assessment claimed that the Government had used “in-year underspends and other resources” to offset some of the cuts, with a further £41m allocated for Afghanistan, £32m for Yemen, £30m for Syria and £30m for Somalia.

In his letter to the International Development Committee, FCDO minister Andrew Mitchell stressed that aid funding was set to increase to £8.3bn next year with a focus on humanitarian crises and supporting women and girls.

An FCDO spokesperson said: “While the budget for low-income countries has had to be reduced in the short term to achieve our savings target – it is due to nearly double for these countries the year after, including in Africa where aid will rise from £646m to £1.364bn.”

But Sarah Champion MP, chair of the International Development Committee, said the cuts were “intolerable” and would have a “terrible impact”.

“This astonishingly honest assessment of the real impact makes grim reading. It is a litany of the people – living in poverty, suffering hunger, women, girls, disabled people – who will no longer be supported by the UK’s direct aid spending,” she said.

References

1. ^{^} UK aid budget (inews.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) (inews.co.uk)
3. ^{^} still significantly below pre-pandemic levels (inews.co.uk)
4. ^{^} unforeseen cost of supporting Ukrainian and Afghan refugees (inews.co.uk)