Originally posted to the Guardian website, 23 August 2021,
Data analysis highlights the human cost if thousands of overseas projects lose funding
Experts have warned of “devastating” consequences of the UK’s foreign aid cuts after Guardian analysis revealed the UK is cutting funding at a time when major recipient countries are at risk of becoming more politically unstable.
Thousands of activities providing life-saving support are being cut due to the government’s decision to reduce aid spending to 0.5% of gross national income.
Guardian analysis of the five largest recipients of these aid activities shows that four countries – Afghanistan, Yemen, Nigeria and Ethiopia – score worse in a “fragile states index” today than they did 15 years ago, while only one country, Pakistan, had become less politically fragile.
Four out of the five top recipients of UK foreign aid have become more politically fragile since 2006.
These cuts – at a time when recipient countries are facing increases in fragility – have led to warnings of further economic damage, regional instability and increases in violence.
Initiatives that have been confirmed as cancelled include an education scheme for child labourers in Bangladesh, a conflict resolution project in Nigeria and a programme aimed at preventing violence against women and girls in Malawi, according to global development news outlet Devex, which has tracked the cuts.
But the proposed scale of the foreign aid cuts – from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income at the same time as the economy has shrunk – means that experts are worried that few areas will remain untouched.
Data from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office shows the scale and breadth of the UK’s 2019 aid spending, contributing to more than 150 countries and covering a variety of sectors.
Link to the original post: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/ng-interactive/2021/aug/23/devastating-how-cuts-in-uks-foreign-aid-could-hurt-the-worlds-poorest
