The closure of a specialized conflict prevention fund, poor gender programming, and a continued lack of aid funds in the United Kingdom government’s foreign policy strategy have caused jitters among aid organizations in the U.K.
The Integrated Review Refresh, released last week, updated the 2021 iteration of the document — intended to guide the U.K.’s international policy, including development. It was mainly updated to reflect Russia’s war in Ukraine, but other changes included increased defense spending and designating China an “epoch-defining challenge.”
The 2021 review, published while Boris Johnson was prime minister, generally received a poor reception from development advocates — though some liked certain aspects of it, such as a focus on climate change.