UK Proposes To Cut Financial Aid To War-Torn Countries By Two Thirds

UK Proposes To Cut Financial Aid To War-Torn Countries By Two Thirds.

A leaked report shows that the UK plans to cut aid to some of the world’s most conflict-ridden countries by up to two thirds. Aid to Syria would be cut by 67 per cent, aid to Libya by 63 per cent, Somalia by 60 per cent and South Sudan by 59 per cent, according to the Foreign Office report obtained by the Open Democracy website.

Labour said the reported cuts would “cause devastation” to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Preet Kaur Gill, shadow secretary for international development, said: “This is a devastating reminder of the real-world impact the Government’s politically motivated decision to abandon its manifesto commitment on aid will have on the world’s most vulnerable people.

A Government spokesperson said further decisions on individual aid programmes were still to be made. “The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid,” the spokesperson said.

“We remain a world-leading aid donor and we will spend more than £10 (€1.16)billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.”

The economic damage done by the pandemic has led the Government to shelve its manifesto commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid, cutting that to 0.5%. The documents obtained by Open Democracy suggest the total bilateral humanitarian aid programme will be cut from £1.5 (€1.74) billion to £900 (€1,045) million, The Times reported.

The leak comes as more than a hundred UK charities condemned the Government’s decision to cut aid to Yemen.

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