UK charities have condemned the move as a 'tragic blow'.

As the government publishes details of its cuts to aid funding, an international development network has released analysis showing where the axe will fall hardest.

Dominic Raab released a written statement yesterday laying out the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) spending plans for 2021-2022.

The information presented by the FCDO showed no comparable information of previous years, making it difficult to see where cuts would be made.

But analysis by the non-profit group Bond estimates that millions of pounds in cuts are coming to global health projects, humanitarian preparedness and response, girls’ education and open society and conflict resolution.

Save the Children estimated that in the financial year 2019 to 2020, £1.5 billion was spent on global health. This has been reduced by an estimated 14 percent to £1.3bn – an estimated cut of £200 million.

There has been an estimated 34 percent reduction in funding for humanitarian preparedness and response, falling from £1377 million to just £906 million.

Kevin Watkins, Save the Children CEO, said: “When every other G7 nation is stepping up in the face of a global pandemic and increasing their support for the poorest and most vulnerable people, the UK is alone in choosing to step back, even as it prepares to host the G7 Summit. 

“The huge cuts to Yemen – the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis – and the admission they were made without an assessment of their potential impact, point to a government making cuts with no consideration for the human harm they will cause.

“These cuts will trim UK borrowing by a fraction, but devastate lives across many of the world’s poorest countries.”

Bond estimates a 19 percent reduction in funds in ‘open society’ projects and conflict resolution from £518 million to £419 million, although the figure is likely higher as the figure for conflict resolution spending in 2019 is not known.

Funding for girls’ education has also seen an estimated 6 percent reduction, from £424 million to £400 million.

Romilly Greenhill, UK Director of anti-poverty organisation the ONE Campaign, criticised cuts to girls’ education and global health, saying: “Now we’ve seen where the axe has fallen, it’s clear the Government’s words are not matched by actions.  

“The cuts reveal a Government which makes bold declarations about the importance of investing in girls’ education and preventing future health crises, but takes a scythe to the very projects needed to deliver on these ambitions – all in the midst of a pandemic and the same year we’re due to host major summits on these issues. 

“The promised new era of British leadership is going to be very hard to deliver whilst we’re turning our back on the world’s most difficult challenges.” 

Bond said that the analysis was made more complicated by three factors. The first is that the seven priority areas outlined in the FCDO’s statement do not directly align with categories used up to now, meaning data is not comparable.

The analysis is further complicated by the fact that some data is measured by financial year and some by calendar year, and that other government departments which spend aid have not released similar budget breakdowns.

The UK NGO sector has condemned the government’s long awaited breakdown of aid cuts and have urged the government to reverse its decision. 

In a statement, organisations supported by millions of British people, including Save the Children, Oxfam, ONE, Christian Aid, Care International and The HALO Trust said: “Today’s announcement is a tragic blow for many of the world’s most marginalised people the UK once supported, and for the UK’s reputation as a trusted development partner.

“The government has not even spared countries ravaged by humanitarian crisis, disease, war and poverty. When other nations are stepping forward and bolstering their aid budgets, the UK has instead chosen to step back.”

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