United Kingdom spending on peace-building work in fragile states will be slashed by one-third, under plans seen by Devex, prompting criticism of a funding shift to hard security measures even as global conflicts escalate.
The new Integrated Security Fund is set to receive only £233 million ($287 million) of Official Development Assistance, or ODA, in the 2025-26 financial year starting in April — down from £350 million in 2024-25.
The cut is the best available guide to the level of conflict reduction spending because ISF’s other work — such as the cyberthreat and “maritime security, economic sanctions and emerging and disruptive technology such as AI and quantum computing” — cannot be funded from the aid budget.