The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s first strategic priority is to shape the international order and ensure the United Kingdom is a “force for good” in the world, the department said Wednesday in its first annual report.
Tracking the UK’s controversial aid cuts
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FCDO’s new “Priority Outcomes” contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction. But the aid spending department’s objectives, which focus heavily on U.K. influence and security rather than poverty, also received initial criticism. The U.K. is legally mandated to spend aid on reducing poverty.
Working as a “force for good” will include “supporting sustainable development and humanitarian needs; promoting human rights and democracy; and establishing common international standards,” according to the document.
“Make the UK safer and more resilient to global threats” was the second objective, and the third was to “Extend and amplify the UK’s influence in the world,” including by becoming a dialogue partner with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The department is now marking a “strategic shift, putting our aid budget to work alongside our diplomatic network, our science and technology expertise and our economic partnerships in tackling global challenges,” the report said.
The document revealed other details that had not previously been made public, including that the controversial merger of the Department for International Development with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office cost £4.9 million. It also featured an organizational chart and confirmed that former DFID and FCO staffers are in some cases still organized by their defunct departments.
As part of shaping the international order and acting as a force for good, the report said, the country’s aid budget will be used to “support girls’ education and free journalism, and work with other donors and partners to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and reduce the risk of famines.”
The report placed a strong emphasis on foreign affairs and security as part of its second objective of making the U.K. safer and resilient. “The international security environment is deteriorating,” and “Strategic geopolitical competition is intensifying,” it said.
“We will coordinate the delivery of activity and relationships overseas to protect and promote UK resilience and a resilient global health system,” the document also said.
Transparency and openness have fallen at FCDO, says UK aid watchdog
Unlike outside observers of U.K. development policy, ICAI has privileged access to the work of the government that it uses to make recommendations for improving aid.
On extending U.K. influence, the report said, “We must ensure that the UK is well-placed to take advantage of emerging markets, shifts in the global economy, and global progress in science and technology.”
Despite the country’s controversial aid cuts, FCDO rated its first year well.
“Dealing with an unprecedented set of challenges, we have been able to meet performance expectations in our first operational year, and effectively deliver maximum impact in priority areas,” the report argued, in a stark divergence from what external observers have said.
But the report also admitted that FCDO was suffering from “Resourcing challenges, in terms of securing both the staff and skills needed for delivery, and supporting the network to implement the transformation.”
The department said it fulfilled its “international, legal, and public transparency commitments,” despite widespread criticism over a lack of openness during the aid cuts.
About the author
William Worley@willrworley
Will Worley is the Climate Correspondent for Devex, covering the intersection of development and climate change. He previously worked as UK Correspondent, reporting on the FCDO and British aid policy during a time of seismic reforms. Will’s extensive reporting on the UK aid cuts saw him shortlisted for ‘Specialist Journalist of the Year’ in 2021 by the British Journalism Awards. He can be reached at william.worley@devex.com.
