Policy Updates

On November 19, 2024, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy slammed Russia for vetoing a council resolution calling for an immediate end to hostilities in Sudan at the UN Security Council meeting.

A draft of the resolution prepared by the UK and Sierra Leone had called on both sides to immediately cease hostilities, and begin ceasefire discussions. Lamy described the Russian veto as a disgrace.

On the November 17, 2024, the UK announces a major assistance increase of GBP113 million (US$146 million) for people in Sudan and those who have fled to neighboring countries.

The new GBP113 million (US$146 million) assistance package, which doubles the UK’s ODA commitment to Sudan and the region this year, will assist over 600,000 people in Sudan and 700,000 people in neighboring countries who have fled the conflict, including Chad and South Sudan.

Funding announced includes GBP44 million (US$57 million) for Sudan and GBP70 million (US$90 million) of support for countries affected by the conflict including Chad, Uganda, and Libya.

Education Cannot Wait will receive support to provide safe learning spaces and psychosocial support for 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Uganda.

The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will call for the Adre border crossing to remain open indefinitely, for immediate action to end the violence, and a draft UN Security Council resolution introduced to push for the protection of civilians and an unrestricted passage of assistance.

On November 15, 2024, Lord Ray Collins was appointed the UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative on PSVI.

As the Prime Minister’s Special Representative, Lord Collins will drive international action to tackle the issue, which disproportionally affects women and girls around the world and support survivors.

Lord Collins takes over the role from Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, who served in the role since 2017 and oversaw the UK host the 2022 PSVI Conference and launch the 2023 International Alliance on PSVI.

On November 13, 2024, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced greater support for countries at the forefront of the climate emergency, and emphasized the need for new partnerships to help tackle illegal deforestation and support indigenous people.

At COP29, he committed to a new initiative supporting forest tenure rights for indigenous and local communities across the Amazon Basin. GBP9 million has also been made available to local scientists working to protect the Congo Basin, home to the world’s largest tropical peatlands to help protect vital natural CO2 storage areas.

GBP100 million of funding will be given for BII's new Mobilisation Facility, which will drive up to GBP500 million (US$647 million) of private capital into investments that support other countries in their transition towards net zero.

Lammy also announced a guarantee of US$280 million to the new IFCAP initiative, which the UK is a founding partner together with the ADB, and other financing partners. The UK’s guarantee contribution will unlock US$1.2 billion of additional climate finance, at no upfront cost to the UK.

The UK's commitment to spend GBP11.6 billion (US$15 billion) of climate finance from 2021/2022 to 2025/2026 will continue to be honored. This includes at least GBP3 billion (US$3.8 billion) on nature, from which GBP1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) will be dedicated to protecting and restoring forests.

Lammy underscored the UK’s commitment to halting and reversing deforestation, to protect areas which play a key role in absorbing CO2 emissions. This includes announcing partnerships aimed at improving forest management and a new 10-year investment to reduce illegal logging. The program will build on long-running UK initiatives to improve the governance of forests, support the trade of sustainable forest products, and crackdown on illegal ones.

On November 11, 2024, the CGD, examined the GBP1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) UK ODA cuts within the context of the new government’s commitments, and explored what might be expected in the coming period.

In the new budget, total UK ODA, including the IDRCs, will drop from GBP15.3 billion (US$19.8 billion) in 2023, to GBP13.9 billion (US$18 billion) in 2024, and then rise to GBP14.3 billion (US$18.5 billion) in 2025.

The CGD noted that the UK needs to meet its ICF target which forms the UK’s commitment to international finance under the Paris Agreement. Given so much of UK ODA is made up of IDRCs, a significant proportion of what remains needs to be redistributed into climate finance, impacting emerging UK development policy priorities.

The UK is conducting reviews of their development policy led by Nemat (Minouche) Shafik, formerly Permanent Secretary at DFID, who has also held senior roles at the Bank of England, World Bank and IMF, London School of Economics, and Columbia University.

On November 10, 2024,climate experts report that wrote that Labour has been accused of failing to live up to its stance on climate leadership after October’s budget squeezed the funding the UK has available to help poorer countries deal with climate change, ahead of the COP summit,.

The UK is sending a team led by UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband who has promised to show global leadership on the climate crisis. Britain’s negotiating team acknowledges that the new climate finance goal must be larger than the previous agreement. However, activists warn that budget constraints being imposed by the Treasury put the UK in a difficult position.

The deal being agreed at COP29 will replace an old agreement from 2009 under which wealthier countries promised to provide poorer countries with US$100 billion annually to cope with climate change by 2020. Under this agreement, the UK committed to spending GBP11.6 billion (US$15 billion) in ODA for the climate crisis between FY2021/22 and FY2025/26.

The previous Conservative government had been slow to meet this pledge, with over GBP6 billion (US$7.7 billion) needing to be spent in 2024 for the UK is to meet its target.

On November 7, 2024, UK International Development Minister Anneilese Dodds met with Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota for Brazil, to hand over the UK’s Statement of Commitment to join Brazil’s Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty at the G20.

Earlier this year in September, the UK played a key role in securing a declaration to support sustainable agriculture and promote food security at a meeting of G20 Agriculture Ministers in Brazil. Signing the G20 Agricultural Declaration, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner affirmed the government’s commitment to sustainable agri-food systems.

On November 5, 2024, South Korean Director of Development Cooperation Jong-han Park and French Deputy Director for Global Affairs, Ministry for Europe Jean-Sébastien Conty had the 3^rd Policy Dialogue to share the current status of their policies on international development cooperation, explore ways to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific region, and exchange views on resolving global issues such as global health and climate.

They expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and African regions, agreeing to revise the MOU signed in October, 2012 between KOICA and AFD to accelerate cooperation between the two development agencies.

The following day, November 6, 2024, South Korean Development Cooperation Support Director Eun-young Jeong and Director for Development and Open Societies, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Christian Rogg had the 10th Policy Dialogue to discuss the progress of practical cooperation between ODA implementing agencies.

This is the first face-to-face meeting between South Korea’s MOFA, MOEF, and the UK FCDO since the signing of the Korea- UK Strategic Development Partnership in November 2023. They agreed to continue to explore ways to cooperate in the key areas of the strategic development partnership including climate and environment, health, and development finance.

These two meetings are expected to further enhance the effectiveness of international development cooperation activities as they include both ministries in charge of grant aid and loans, respectively. MOFA and MOEF will continue to strengthen cooperation with major donor countries and make efforts to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

On November 5, 2024, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy outlined that the need for a new approach to Africa in a visit to Nigeria and South Africa.

Lammy outlined that he will launch a new five-month consultation period with African nations to strengthen relations, encourage further partnership, and foster growth.

During his trip to Lagos, Lammy was asked about paying reparations for former British colonies, a topic that was raised in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October.

UK Lammy has said the concept of reparations for former colonial nations affected by slavery is not about cash transfers and that the UK would instead look to develop relations with African nations through sharing skills and science.

The UK government previously ruled out paying reparations for slavery and Downing Street said its position included other types of 'non-financial reparatory justice'.

Amid growing calls from Commonwealth heads of government to pay reparations for the country's role in the slave trade, Downing Street had insisted the issue would not be on the table.

However, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer later signed a document calling for talks on 'reparatory justice' alongside other Commonwealth leaders - though he said there had been no discussions about money at the meeting.

On November 4, 2024, it was announced that the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office Sir Philip Barton will stand down in January 2025.

Sir Philip became permanent secretary in the department in 2020 but will leave his post short of the full five-year terms achieved by his two predecessors.

His departure means the government has yet another big civil service role to fill including the cabinet secretary, national security advisor, and UK ambassador in Washington.