Scottish charity condemns 'devastating' aid cuts

A leading Scottish humanitarian charity has called on the UK government to reverse “cruel” and “devastating” aid cuts, warning that people across Africa and Asia will die unless action is taken.

The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) said the funding crisis was hitting some of the world’s most vulnerable people the hardest, and has joined scores of other charities in calling on ministers to restore their commitment to international development.

It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer went against Labour’s manifesto pledge to increase the official development assistance (ODA) budget from 0.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent, with the allocation set to fall to just 0.3 per cent by 2027.

SCIAF has warned that the aid cuts will have a devastating impact in conflict-affected countries such as Rwanda. Picture: Vivien Latour / AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

Criticising the steepest reduction in foreign aid spending of any G7 country, including the US, SCIAF warned that aid represented just a “tiny proportion” of public spending, it delivered a “significant return” in terms of preventing diseases before they become pandemics, reducing conflict and crises that force people to flee, and strengthening global stability.

Read more: Scotland’s aid commitment is an act of global solidarity in an ever more fragmented world

Lorraine Currie, the charity’s CEO, said: “Quite simply these cuts hit the most vulnerable people in the world the hardest. They are cruel and devastating. Much needed aid programmes in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected countries across Africa and Asia are at risk of closure. People will die as a result.

“These cuts were made without warning, preparation or consultation with organisations like SCIAF - charity experts who have daily dealings with overseas partners who know the reality on the ground. These cuts mean fewer families in conflict zones able to access shelter, food and water, and fewer children able to go to school.”

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Ms Currie pointed out that the UK government’s own equalities impact assessment found that women and girls, people with disabilities, and children and people affected by conflict, will be among those hardest hit by the downturn in funding.

Lorraine Currie, CEO of SCIAF, said fewer families would beable to access shelter, food and water as a result of the aid cuts. Picture: SCIAF | SCIAF

“This decision will arguably have the most damaging global consequences of any this UK government will make,” she added. “With a significantly reduced UK aid budget, the government must step up its ambitions around global financial sector reform and help build a fairer economic system that enables lower income countries to invest in their own sustainable development.”

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SCIAF is one of 93 international non-governmental organisations to have issued a joint statement calling on the UK government to recommit to an “ambitious international development agenda.”

The signatories to the statement, who include Frances Guy, the CEO of Scotland’s International Development Alliance, argue that cuts to programmes and staffing within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have also been pushed through without “adequate transparency on the strategy and rationale” behind the cuts.

“This lack of clarity has eroded trust in the government, including among local partners with whom vital partnerships have been damaged,” the statement explained.

“While we acknowledge the fiscal pressures at hand, we strongly believe that no government should balance its books on the backs of the world's most marginalised people.”

Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said: “With increasing global conflicts and inequality deepening around the world, the UK’s retreat from its international development agenda will reverse hard-won progress and weaken our credibility and influence on the global stage.”

An FCDO spokesperson said: “As we’ve explained many times before, to fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the Government has taken the decision to reduce the UK ODA budget to 0.3 per cent of GNI by 2027. This reflects the world we live in and the threats our country faces.

“We remain absolutely committed to tackling the global challenges of hunger, disease, insecurity and conflict, but we have been clear we must modernise our approach to development to reflect the changing global context.”