In response to today’s update on FCDO cuts to ODA by the UK Foreign Secretary, Professor Melissa Leach, Director, Institute of Development Studies, said:
“The cuts to the UK ODA budget will have devastating long-term consequences for millions of the poorest people in the world and will damage the UK’s global reputation as a leader in development and international research.
“In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and in a year when the UK hosts the G7 and COP26, the Government should be taking a leadership position on international development and cooperation. Instead, these cuts are effectively reducing the UK’s contribution to tackling the global challenges that affect us all – poverty and inequalities, disease and climate change.
“The budget reduction for UK aid-funded research, in particular, is a significant blow – dismantling world-leading science partnerships that have taken years to build and dramatically reducing the capacity for high quality, interdisciplinary research that is essential to improving the lives of people globally.”
Key contacts
