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The U.K. government fended off attempts to let Parliament vote on its aid cuts … though only for the moment.
Yesterday morning, it seemed like the big news in U.K. aid would be the expected parliamentary vote on an amendment that would force the British government to return to its target of spending 0.7% of national income on aid, which has been reduced to 0.5%. But procedural maneuvering avoided that vote — for now, though a debate is expected today.
Instead, the real shocker came in the form of a letter from Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that, according to Will Worley’s analysis, indicates that more than 100 countries are losing bilateral U.K. aid.
• Raab’s letter was in response to demands from the parliamentary International Development Committee for a country-by-country breakdown of how U.K. aid money spent directly on projects would be allocated for 2021-2022.
• His missive ultimately didn’t include monetary allocations, but simply a list of countries. Despite humanitarian crises in Iraq, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, and Lebanon, all appear to have been cut off from bilateral aid.
• Still getting money? China, despite the government having previously promoted a heavy cut in development assistance to the country.
Read: UK ends bilateral aid to more than 100 countries, territories
ICYMI: Will is tracking the U.K.’s controversial aid cuts as they happen.
+ For up-to-the-minute coverage, be sure you’re following Will on Twitter.
On the ground
“U.K. funding enabled us to serve 270,000 people every year in the Sahel. The health clinics and teams offering life-saving care that they have relied on will be forced to close, and their lives will be changed forever.” — Sanou Gning, Sahel director at MSI Reproductive Choices
Writing about the devastation U.K. aid cuts are expected to wreak on the work of MSI and other NGOs focused on women’s health, Gning calls for diversification of funding to avoid this kind of dependency in the future.
Opinion: UK aid cuts will cause more damage than ‘global gag rule’
New jobs
As always, Devex is keeping track of the development world’s chess pieces. Check out our rundown of last month’s new hires:
• Orsolya Székely is the World Bank’s new accountability mechanism secretary, whose tenure will kick off a program aimed at inspection and dispute resolution.
• WHO has staffed up its new Council on the Economics of Health for All, whose (so far all-female) members include Senait Fisseha, Jayati Ghosh, and Vanessa Huang.
• Kiva’s new CEO is Chris Tsakalakis, a board member of the American Heart Association.
Devex Pro: Get the full list.
+ A new special report for Pro subscribers is launching in 7 days. Register your interest to learn how aid groups are engaging with new social media.
Acting up
With the G-7 summit fast approaching, members of the ACT-Accelerator — currently underfunded by $18.1 billion — want the world’s highest-income nations to finance global efforts to increase equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
The proposed formula for sharing asks countries to contribute based on gross domestic product and income per capita, with an adjustment made for how dependent economies are on global trade. Just two countries — Germany and Canada — in the G-7 have already contributed their share of funding based on this model, while France brings up the rear, having contributed just 15% of its estimated contribution.
Letters to the editor
Many of you wrote to me yesterday after I asked for your responses to my article about USAID agriculture programming in Guatemala aimed at deterring migration. Some of you asked where the women are, and how programs are ensuring that they center women and Indigenous people. Others with experience in the country talked about how ingrained the culture of migration has become, and that youth often see how neighbors can afford a bigger house or nicer car with money from the U.S., so they want to migrate, too.
Another reader called out rampant corruption, noting that lack of responsive governance can lead citizens to feel desperate because their communities have no functioning health, education, or transportation systems. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me as I continue to explore these stories.
In other news
Bangladesh, formerly a recipient of major donor aid, has offered $200 million in loans to Sri Lanka. [Nikkei]
Abdulla Shahid, foreign minister of the Maldives, has been elected as the president of the 76th U.N General Assembly. [UN News]
Unidentified gunmen killed more than 160 people in Burkina Faso on Saturday, in what human rights groups call the worst attack on civilians in the Sahel in years. [NPR]
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About the authors
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
Amy Liebermanamylieberman
Amy Lieberman is the U.N. Correspondent for Devex. She covers the United Nations and reports on global development and politics. Amy previously worked as a freelance reporter, covering the environment, human rights, immigration, and health across the U.S. and in more than 10 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, and Cambodia. Her coverage has appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. A native New Yorker, Amy received her master’s degree in politics and government from Columbia’s School of Journalism.
