Policy Updates

Each week, Donor Tracker's team of country-based experts bring you the most important policy and funding news across issue areas in the form of Policy Updates.

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UK cuts global health ODA to vulnerable nations

January 6, 2025 | UK, Global Health | Share this update

On January 6, 2025, the Royal College of Nursing conduted research stating that the UK cut health ODA to some of the world’s vulnerable countries at the same time as recruiting thousands of their nurses.

The Royal College of Nursing said Labour has a duty to fix the ODA cuts imposed by the previous government, and to work on increasing the UK’s domestic supply of nurses.

Between 2020 and 2023, direct UK ODA for health-related projects in “red list” countries – those with the most severe workforce shortages – fell by nearly 63%, from GBP484 million (US$684 million) to GBP181 million (US$234 million).

Spending on projects designed to strengthen the healthcare workforce in those countries fell by 83%, from GBP24 million (US$34 million) to GBP4 million (US$5 million).

At the same time, the number of nurses from these countries on the UK’s national register rose sharply. There were 11,386 registered in September 2020, and 32,543 in September 2024.

News article - The Guardian

UK Chancellor provides unclear response on ODA spending target

January 3, 2025 | UK | Share this update

On January 3, 2025, the IDC announced that the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves did not answer their question on how the Government decided to set ODA spending at 0.5%.

Reeves reiterated that the UK government is still committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA, but that the ‘fiscal tests’ for this have not been met. She added that the Government has no plans to update these tests, as they have the endorsement of Parliament. The Chair of the IDC Sarah Champion also did not receive a direct answer to this question when she raised it in a written question in Parliament to the Treasury.

Champion expressed her appreciation for the Chancellor's response but noted that it left many questions unanswered. She questioned the reasoning behind choosing a 0.5% GNI target if 0.7% is considered unattainable, asking whether the figure is arbitrary or central to the Government's ODA strategy. Champion also expressed her anticipation for more detailed clarification from government ministers in the new year.

Press release - International Development Committee

UK pledges US$79 million to support vulnerable people in Middle East, Africa, Asia

December 30, 2024 | UK, WASH & Sanitation | Share this update

On December 30, 2024, the Minister for Development announced GBP61 million (US$79 million) for humanitarian assistance in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia as part of the UK government’s Plan for Change by tackling migration flows upstream and addressing the climate emergency and global poverty.

The UK is directing GBP22 million (US$28 million) towards responding to escalating crises in the Middle East and GBP34 million (US$43 million) will go towards alleviating high levels of humanitarian need in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, the DRC, Somalia, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Additionally, up to GBP5 million (US$6 million) will be used to respond to the devastation wreaked by Tropical Cyclone Chido. It is estimated that 1.5 million people have been affected by the recent storms, with crops, infrastructure, health facilities.

The UK will provide GBP5 million (US$6 million) to reach around 350,000 of those affected in Mozambique, focusing on meeting immediate emergency shelter, clean water, and sanitation needs.

Press release - UK Government

New Publish What You Fund report tracks donors' progress

December 17, 2024 | UK, Canada, US, Netherlands, Australia | Share this update

On December 17, 2024, the global campaign for assistance and development transparency, Publish What You Fund, released the report Commitments Without Accountability, which compares leading donors' commitments to locally led development, enabling effictive tracking and reporting on implementation.

The study focused on the extent to which donors had increased direct funding to local organizations. Of the five donors, including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, USAID, GAC, the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UK’s FCDO, only USAID had the strategies, policies, comprehensive targets, and measurable public data to track its direct funding target.

The analysis created a Local Funding Matrix which looked at definitions, measurement, strategy, and policy to compare these 5 OECD DAC donors. Only USAID fulfilled all of the criteria; Australia has progressed in developing strategies, policies, and establishing a definition of local.

This work builds on Publish What You Fund's Metrics Matter series which tracked USAID 's progress towards its own 25% target by 2025, of which USAID is currently off track to meet. A third Metrics Matter report will be released in the spring of 2025, which will include all 5 donors.

Report - Publish What You FundNews article - Devex

UK announces US$64 million in support for vulnerable Syrians

December 15, 2024 | UK, Nutritious Food Systems | Share this update

On December 15, 2024, the UK announced a GBP50 million (US$64 million) package of international assistance to help the most vulnerable Syrians, including refugees across the region.

Following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that new emergency assistance will be delivered through the UN and NGO agencies to help the most vulnerable Syrians, in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The UK joined talks in Aqaba yesterday, hosted by Jordan and attended by ministers and representatives of the Arab Contact Group, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, the EU, the UK, France, Germany, and the US, where participants expressed commitment the best interests of the Syrian people, the region, and the world.

Press release - UK Government

The Economist criticizes UK ODA budget

December 12, 2024 | UK | Share this update

On December 12, 2024, the Economist published an article asserting that the UK's ODA budget is less generous than it intially appears.

The article specifically criticized cutting the 0.7% target, and that in the past few years, barely over half of the target has actually been spent on ODA.

The cuts began under the UK’s last Conservative government, but look set to continue and deepen under the Labour government.

News article - The Economist

UK pledges additional US$17 million to UNRWA

December 11, 2024 | UK | Share this update

On December 11, 2024, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini and pledged an additional GBP13 million (US$17 million) to UNRWA.

The funding is additional to the GBP21 million (US$27 million) already pledged by the UK to UNRWA, which is banned by Israel.

Starmer expressed his deep condolences for the many UNRWA staff who have been killed in the conflict, and agreed with Lazzarini that more must be done to protect aid workers in Gaza.

Press release - UK Government

UK announces US$6 million program with RBM Partnership to End Malaria

December 11, 2024 | UK, Gender Equality, Global Health | Share this update

On December 11, 2024, the UK announced a new GBP5 million (US$6 million) program with the RBM Partnership to End Malaria to boost global efforts to end malaria epidemic, stimulate growth, protect women and girls, and renew the push to eliminate malaria by 2030.

The announcement followed the launch of the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2024, which outlined that malaria remains a serious global health challenge and saw an increase of cases in 2023.

The UK’s pledge will support the RBM Partnership to End Malaria as it works to galvanize global leaders in the fight against malaria. UK is slated to include tackling resistance to malaria treatments and supporting efforts to control malaria in Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Press release - UK Government

UK Development Minister pledges US$50 million during visits to Malawi, Zambia

December 9, 2024 | UK, Education | Share this update

On December 9, 2024, UK Minister for International Development Anneliese Dodds stated that economic growth is at the core of development, announcing measures to drive growth in Malawi and Zambia.

Anneliese Dodds plans to announce a package of educational support in Malawi and measures to drive green growth in Zambia. Funding will provide GBP39 million (US$50 million) over five years and will ensure every student has workbooks, teachers receive on-going coaching and learning is accessible to children with disabilities.

She reaffirms the UK’s commitment to the UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact with an aim to drive GBP2.5 billion (US$3.2 billion) of UK private investment into green projects in Zambia and commit to greater UK support to the Zambian energy sector.

Developing education will help to boost economic ties between the UK and Malawi and unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create their own businesses.

The program aims to accelerate learning, doubling the number of children with basic mathematics skills by age 10, and aims to reach 1,500 secondary schoolgirls with scholarships and mentorships.

Press release - UK Government

UK, European States suspend Syrian asylum applications

December 9, 2024 | UK, Gender Equality | Share this update

On December 9, 2024, the UK and other European countries accounced they would suspend the process of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus.

A spokesperson from the UK Home Office issued a statement temporarily pausing decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst he government undergoes an assessment of the current situation.

The decision was made only one day after rebel forces seized the capital and the president fled to Russia. The impact on IDRCs in the UK and other parts of Europe remain to be seen.

News article - The Guardian

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US$ amounts are cited directly from sources; in the absence of an official conversion, they are calculated using the previous week's average of the US Federal Reserve's daily exchange rates.

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