‘Thousands will die’ from ongoing aid cuts, UK government admits

Thousands of people “in acute humanitarian need” will die unnecessarily from hunger, poor health care, and during pregnancy because of ongoing U.K. aid cuts, its government has admitted in an astonishingly frank analysis.

The Equality Impact Assessment, released today by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, or FCDO, acknowledges that a third year of reductions in bilateral funding will also strip out specialized services for rape victims in South Sudan, for women and girls in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and for students and teachers in Ethiopia.

The analysis notes that aid programs focus on “women and girls, gender-based violence survivors, people with disabilities, internally displaced people, children suffering from malnutrition and unaccompanied children” in order to tackle inequality. But a further 16% cut in funding in 2023-24 will “inevitably impact on equalities and inclusion objectives,” FCDO admits, hitting “those facing acute humanitarian need.”