Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development
Affairs (): As set out in the Autumn
Statement 2022, reflecting the significant shock to the economy
and public finances, the independent OBR’s forecasts show that
the principles for a return to spending 0.7% GNI on Official
Development Assistance (ODA) confirmed by Parliament in 2021 have
not been met. Consequently, HMG will continue to spend around
0.5% of GNI on ODA until the principles for a return are met.
Recognising the significant and unanticipated costs incurred to
support the people of Ukraine and Afghanistan escape oppression
and conflict and find refuge in the UK, the government is
providing additional resources of £1 billion in 2022-23 and £1.5
billion in 2023-24.
FCDO’s latest estimate of its planned ODA spending for this
Financial Year, 2022-23, is £7,584m. FCDO will also plan on the
assumption of a similar FCDO ODA budget for next year, 2023-24,
to aid financial and operational planning, though this remains
indicative. This is in the context of the support we are
providing to those fleeing the war in Ukraine and insecurity in
Afghanistan.
We will need to decide on the distribution of planned ODA
allocations over the remainder of the Spending Review. I want to
update the House on how we will do this.
First, I have instructed officials to focus spend according to
the priorities set out in the International Development Strategy
while maximising value for money and our flexibility to respond
to new or emerging priority issues.
Second, we will meet the financial commitments we have made to
multilateral organisations. They will remain essential partners
in achieving our goals. We will work with them on the profile of
these commitments to get the balance right with our bilateral
programme spending.
Third, we are now able to lift the pause on ODA spending and
activity and will act swiftly to manage our bilateral programmes
this financial year. We will approach this in a proportionate
way, with experts on the ground in country empowered to determine
which programmes to continue in line with our approach to
prioritisation.
We are committed to being more transparent about our ODA spend.
The FCDO can only meet our development aims when we work closely
with our delivery partners, when we listen to, and engage with
people in developing countries, and when we explain to the
British public how every penny spent helps improve lives around
the world and is in our national interest.
In order to maximise value for money of ODA across Government and
deliver greater reliability to our partners, we will strengthen
ODA governance arrangements, ensuring that the Minister for
International Development and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
can more effectively scrutinise ODA spend.
The UK will remain a world leader in development, not just
through the impact of our ODA spend but also through our
business, trade, civil society, research and technology
expertise. For example, new vaccines, nutrition enhanced and
drought resistant crops have been developed by the best brains in
UK science and universities collaborating globally. This is one
of the many ways the UK is partnering with countries to take
control of their own future.
