“A tragic blow for many of the world’s most marginalised people” - 200 UK NGOs condemn government cuts to aid budget

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 state:

“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.”

“In a year when the UK has the chance to show leadership at G7 and COP26, withdrawing vital investment needed to keep everyone safe from health pandemics, conflicts and climate change, is the wrong move.”

Romilly Greenhill, UK Director of anti-poverty organisation the ONE Campaign, said:

“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.”

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. At a time when the UK should be leading the international community in responding to the climate crisis ahead of the climate summit, it is slashing aid to communities on the front line of that crisis. The UK’s hard-won reputation for international leadership in aid is in tatters.”

HALO Trust CEO Major General James Cowan said:

“As a former General and CEO of a humanitarian organisation, I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s plans to harness the UK’s unique strengths in conflict. But the budget proposed for conflict response falls far short of what is needed. It will be felt disproportionately in the Middle East, where countries are crippled by explosives and IEDs, causing millions to live in squalid refugee camps.

Without sustained UK funding, HALO will not be able to remove and destroy the bombs, IEDs and munitions that cause countless deaths and stand in the way of building peace and stability. As host of this year’s G7, the UK should be showing leadership in conflict response and recovery and backing this up with the means necessary to deliver.”

Laurie Lee, Chief Executive of Care International said:

“This statement says nothing about what has been cut or why. We need full transparency. Parliament should be allowed to vote on the budget AND the 0.7% promise should be kept”

ENDS

Notes to editor

UK Official Development Assistance departmental allocations 2021-22 : Statement: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-04-21/hcws935
For further information or interviews please contact Maryam Mohsin on 07555 336029 or [email protected]
The statement was signed on to by the following NGOs:

Karl Hankinson, CEO, Able Child Africa

Jean-Michel Grand, Executive Director, Action Against Hunger

Katie Husselby, Coordinator, Action for Global Health Network

John Good, Interim CEO, ActionAid UK

Jimmy Innes, CEO, ADD International

Bert R Smit, CEO, ADRA-UK

Andrew Betts, Director, Advantage Africa

Charlie Hay, CEO, AfriKids

Chris Roles, Managing Director, Age International

Professor Ian J Govendir, CEO, AIDS Orphan

Graeme Hodge, CEO, All We Can

Jonathan Hargreaves, Founder and Director, Amplifying Voices UK

Camilla Knox-Peebles, Chief Executive, Amref Health Africa UK

Alex Daniels, Chief Executive, APT Action on Poverty

Penny David, CEO, Ashanti Development

Stephanie Draper, CEO, Bond

Andrew Jowett, OBE, CEO, Build It International

Laurie Lee, Chief Executive, CARE International UK

Kirsty Smith, CEO, CBM UK & BasicNeeds

Anna-mai Andrews and Katie Fowler, Co-CEOs, Chance for Childhood

Helen McEachern, CEO, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

Martina Gant, CEO, Child.org

Rachel Bentley, Co-founder and CEO, Children on the Edge

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, Chief Executive, Christian Aid

Danny Harvey, Executive Director, Concern Worldwide (UK)

Jonathan Cohen, Executive Director, Conciliation Resources

Peter Marsden, Chief Executive, Concordis International

Lizet Vlamings, Interim CEO, Consortium for Street Children

Andy Pask, CEO, Cord

Meena Varma, Director, Dalit Solidarity Network UK

Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Kavita Prasad, CEO, DeafKidz International

Ellen Waters, Director of Development, Doctors of the World UK

Monowara Gani, CEO, Doctors Worldwide

Professor David Hulme, CEO, Effective States Research Centre,
Global Development Institute, University of Manchester

Lyndall Stein, Interim CEO, Elrha

Tim Livesey, CEO, Embrace the Middle East

Mark Smith, Director, Enable Ed CIC

Tricia Barnett, Director, Equality in Tourism International

Aileen Burmeister, National Coordinator, Fair Trade Wales / Cymru Masnach Deg

Sandra Golding, CEO, Feed the Minds

Saul Billingsley, Executive Director, FIA Foundation

Rachel Lindley, CEO, Five Talents

Paul Cornelius, CEO, Food for the Hungry UK

Ziggy Garewal, UK Representative, Friends of ACTED UK

Michael Deriaz, Chairman, Friends of Kipkelion

Jessica Woodroffe, Director, Gender & Development Network

Dr Joel C. Gill, Executive Director, Geology for Global Development

Marie Rumsby, UK Country Director, Global Citizen

Mike Davis, CEO, Global Witness

Hyejoung Yang, Director, Good Neighbours UK

Martin Drewry, CEO, Health Poverty Action

Justin Derbyshire, CEO, HelpAge International

Mark Waddington, CEO, Hope and Homes for Children

Carwyn Hill, CEO, Hope Health Action

Claire O’Shea, Head of Partnership, Hub Cymru Africa

Dr Mohamed Ashmawey, CEO, Human Appeal

George Graham, Chief Executive, Humanity & Inclusion UK

Christine Sow, CEO and President, Humentum

Professor Melissa Leach, Director, Institute of Development Studies

Jasmina Haynes, CEO, Integrity Action

Professor Tom Potokar, Director, Interburns

Kathryn Tomlinson and Senait Fassil, Interim Co-Executive Directors, International Alert

Adele Paterson, CEO, International Health Partners

Andrew Norton, Director, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

John Reynolds, CEO, International Nepal Fellowship

John Young, Executive Director, International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP)

Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

Melanie Ward, Interim UK Executive Director, International Rescue Committee

Jodie Ginsberg, CEO, Internews Europe

Tufail Hussain, Interim CEO, Islamic Relief Worldwide

Fiona Bristow, Director, Kanaama Interactive Community Support

Tom Kingsley, National Director, Light for the World UK

Fiona Greig, CEO, Link Education International

Julian Page, Director, Livingstone Tanzania Trust

Professor Claire Heffernan, Director, London International Development Centre

Maria Spink, Founder and CEO, Lyra in Africa

Charles Nelson, Chief Executive, Malaria Consortium

Julian Watson, Director, Mbedza Projects Support

Dr Aimee Shalan, Chief Executive, Medical Aid for Palestinians

Vinny Smith, Chief Executive, Meningitis Research Foundation

Alexandra Angulo, Interim Executive Director, Mercy Corps

Darren Cormack, CEO, Mines Advisory Group (MAG)

Claire Thomas, Deputy Director, Minority Rights Group International

Simon Cooke, CEO, MSI Reproductive Choices

Hamid H Azad, CEO, Muntada Aid

Kashif Shabir, CEO, Muslim Aid UK

Irfan Khan, Director of Humanitarian and International Partnerships, Muslim Hands

Annabel Harris, CEO, Network for Africa

Martin Hartberg, UK Director, Norwegian Refugee Council

Fiona Gorton, Resources and Finance Officer, Omega Research Foundation

Sam Bickersteth, Chief Executive, Opportunity International United Kingdom

Grethe Petersen, CEO, Orchid Project

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam Great Britain

Dylan Mathews, Chief Executive, Peace Direct

Dr Keith Tyrell, Director, Pesticide Action Network UK

Tom Edwards, Director, PHASE Worldwide

Rose Caldwell, CEO, Plan International UK

Jake Criswick , CEO, Play It Forward

Robin Maynard, Director, Population Matters

Sarah Roberts, CEO, Practical Action

Kate Garvey and Gail Gallie, Co-Founders, Project Everyone

Terina Keene, Group Chief Executive, Railway Children

Joe Eisen, Executive Director, Rainforest Foundation UK

Julian Olivier, Chief Executive, Raleigh International

Ian Shapiro, CEO, Reall

Perry Maddox, CEO, Restless Development

Aaron Oxley, Executive Director, RESULTS UK

Christopher Williams, Chairman, RTpay

Erica Belanger, Executive Director, SafeHands

Paul Murphy, Executive Director, Saferworld

Kevin Watkins, Chief Executive, Save the Children

Alistair Dutton, CEO, SCIAF

Elizabeth Nelson, UK Director, Search for Common Ground

Hollie Warren, Chair, Send My Friend to School

Patricia Alexander, Managing Director, Shared Interest Foundation

Simon O’Connell, CEO, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation

John Keane, CEO, SolarAid

Calvin Laing, Acting Executive Director, Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN)

Christina Bennett, CEO, Start Network

Girish Menon, CEO, STiR Education

Fadhili Maghiya, Director, Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel

Frances Hill, Chair, Board of Trustees, SWIDN

Charlie Gamble, CEO, TackleAfrica

Nik Kafka, CEO, Teach A Man To Fish

Anita Lowenstein Dent, CEO, Teach2Teach International

Nigel Harris, Chief Executive, Tearfund

Alexander Knapp, CEO, The AKCGlobal Group

Nicholas Grono, CEO, The Freedom Fund

Major General James Cowan CBE DSO, CEO, The HALO Trust

Shona Lockyer, Trustee, The Kambia Appeal

Peter Waddup, National Director, The Leprosy Mission England & Wales

Christina Longden, Director, The Lorna Young Foundation

Simon Bishop, CEO, The Power of Nutrition

Justin van Fleet, President, Theirworld

Philippa Carrick, CEO, Tibet Relief Fund

Sarah Ingleby, Chief Executive, Tools for Self Reliance

Lynne Morris, CEO, Toybox

Frances O’Grady, General Secretary, Trades Union Congress

Charlotte Timson, CEO, Traidcraft Exchange

Ben Simms, Chief Executive, Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET)

Clare Wearden, Director, Village Water

Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive, VSO International

Dr Kathrin Thomas, Chair, Wales and Africa Health Links Network

Rob Williams OBE, CEO, War Child UK

Asad Rehman, Executive Director, War on Want

Ceris Turner-Bailes, CEO, WasteAid

Nick Hepworth, PhD, Executive Director, Water Witness International

Timothy John Wainwright, Chief Executive, WaterAid

Caroline Qutteneh, Director, Welfare Association

Dr Antony Kingsley, CEO, WellFound

Susie Ventris-Field, Chief Executive, Welsh Centre for International Affairs

Dinah Musindarwezo, Director of Policy and Communications, Womankind Worldwide

Jon Rosser, Chief Executive, World Child Cancer

Julian Gore-Booth, CEO, World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists

Paul Anticoni, Chief Executive, World Jewish Relief

Mark Sheard, CEO, World Vision UK

Ian Wishart, CEO, The Fred Hollows Foundation

Sheniz Tan, CEO, Asfar CIC

Mark Galloway, Executive Director, International Broadcasting Trust

Nicola Chevis, CEO, Vision Aid Overseas

Christine Stegling, Executive Director, Frontline AIDS

Paul Lindoewood, General Secretary, Disability in Wales and Africa

Romilly Greenhill, UK Director, ONE Campaign

Christine Allen, Director, CAFOD

Gary Forster, CEO, Publish What You Fund

Ognjen Radosavljevic, Managing Director, International Medical Corps UK

Ann Pretorius, CEO, Joint Aid Management

Lysa John, Secretary-General, CIVICUS

Mr Bijay Kumar, Executive Director, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)

Justin Dowds, CEO, Compassion UK

Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Executive Director, Women for Women International – UK

Shaun Spiers, Executive Director, Green Alliance

Mike Podmore, Director, STOPAIDS

Jenny Hodgson, Executive Director, Global Fund for Community Foundations

Jo Ashbridge, CEO, AzuKo

Catherine McCarthy, Chief Executive, Medical Aid Films

Peter Anderson, Chair, CADA NI

Sarah Blakemore, Chief Executive, Keeping Children Safe

Jill Healey, Executive Director, ChildHope

Miles Litvinoff, Director, Publish What You Pay UK

Dr Stephen R Connor, Executive Director, Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance

Helen Veitch, Director, Children Unite

Matthew Owen, Director, Cool Earth

Lucy Philipson, CEO, COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas)

Simon Ray, Chair of the Board of Trustees, HealthProm

Dr John McConnell, Managing Trustee, Scholarships for Street Kids

David Evans, Country Director, Ace Africa UK

Dr. Husna Ahmad OBE, CEO, Global One 2015

Michael Gidney, CEO, The Fairtrade Foundation

Mitchell Payne, International Programmes Manager, Signal

Peter Marlow, Director, Project Managers Against Poverty

Quinn McKew, Executive Director, ARTICLE 19

Paul Stuart, CEO, Send a Cow

Alison Wallace, CEO, SOS Children’s Villages UK

Jo Hook, Managing Director, Temwa

Caoimhe de Barra, CEO, Trócaire

Elizabeth Winter, Executive Director, British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG)

Dr Nabeel Al Ramadhani, President, Human Relief Foundation (HRF)

Othman Moqbel, CEO, Syria Relief

Henry Pomeroy, Director, CHASE Africa

Mikey Rosato, CEO, Women and Children First

Julia Misselbrook, Country Director, Digital Opportunity Trust UK

Charles Davy, Managing Director, Afghanaid

Linda Edwards, CEO (Interim), United Purpose

Dr Adrian C Brown, Chair, Maternity Worldwide

Parmi Dheensa, Executive Director, Include Me TOO