There is already shock and outrage from numerous charities and hacks at the reduction in the UK aid budget to pay for the 2.5% defence uplift. Water Aid chief executive Tim Wainwright, for example, says “the world cannot watch on while the UK Government reduces aid and leaves basic human rights hanging in the balance.” The usual suspects are not happy…
While much of the FCDO’s Overseas Development Assistance budget is spent on worthy projects and soft-power boosters (£237 million is going to Ukraine) there are no small number of tenuous projects which could be cut. Studying shrimp in Bangladesh comes to mind…
UK DOGE has collated ten examples of FCDO-led foreign development programmes and their varying though often huge budgets:
- RENEWABLE ENERGY AND DISABILITIES IN LESOTHO: Programme support to “address issues of climate change and greater use of renewable energy” while “promoting inclusion of people with disabilities” in Lesotho. £84,498
- CLIMATE CHANGE GENDER RESEARCH: New research to “update previous studies on the economic costs of climate change and costs of adaptation to include gender equality and inclusion dimensions.” £901,275
- EMPOWERMENT IN NEPAL: Programme to “empower women, girls, and excluded groups in Nepal to understand and claim their Rights individually and collectively.” £4,951,995
- GENDER EQUALITY FOR LABOUR ORGANISATIONS: Funding for organisations led by the International Labour Organization to “advance gender equality, promote and realize fundamental principles and rights at work and workplaces free of violence, harassment and discrimination.” £1,746,424
- SUSTAINABLE COOKING: Research programme to “solve the problem of unsustainable, unhealthy but enduring cooking practices which place a particular burden on women.” £33,450,000
- DISABLED KENYAN ENTREPRENEURS: Project to “create a system of support for entrepreneurs with disabilities” in Kenya. £415,644
- ECO-RESEARCH IN COLOMBIA: Research for the University of the Andes into “systemic perspectives on low carbon cities in Colombia.” £254,000
- WOKE SCIENCE: Funding with the Norwegians to support the “Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa… to increase both the integration of gender equality and inclusivity in the work of the councils and the participation and leadership roles for women in research, development and innovation.” £491,275
- IRAQI WOMEN’S NETWORKS: A grant to “empower” and “interconnect” “grassroots, women-led, feminist civil society organisations (CSOs), and Women’s rights organizations (WROs) across federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.” £5,000,000
- GENDER EQUALITY: Funding for the British Council to improve gender equality in developing countries including “funding for conferences or roundtables on gender equality, diversity, and inclusion, and initiatives to build institutional capacity for integrating gender equality into research practices.” £1,460,800
These are indicative and there are hundreds of millions more spent on projects like this across the world. Many are replicated in numerous regions. If Starmer pushes ahead with his plan to cut the aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, these projects should be the first to be binned. UK DOGE will be watching progress closely…
