The United Kingdom has “no strategy” to deliver aid for children after years of “devastating” spending cuts even larger than those inflicted on other sectors, according to a damning new UNICEF UK study.
The analysis paints a bleak picture of a U.K. that has lost its once “leading role” in advancing children’s rights and well-being — a trend dating back almost a decade under Conservative governments, even before huge budget cuts that began in 2021.
The share of U.K. bilateral aid focused on children fell from 30% to 18% between 2016 and 2022, the report says, while the proportion spent on education over the same period plunged from 11% to 4% — “despite years of the government publicly championing girls’ education.”