London, UK, July 17, 2023 — Responding to the publication of the FCDO’s Annual Report, International Rescue Committee UK Executive Director, Laura Kyrke-Smith, said,
“We welcome the projected increases to bilateral aid in 2024-25. However, we are concerned by the ongoing impact that the Treasury’s decision to cut official development assistance (ODA) will have during 2023-24, with the budgets for countries such as Afghanistan and South Sudan significantly reduced despite growing – and unmet - humanitarian needs.
This continued short-term budget pressure highlights two points. First, the need for the Chancellor to curb the diversion of foreign aid towards domestic refugee costs and set out a clear timeline for reinstating the aid budget. Second, the need for the Foreign Secretary to ensure that the majority of this budget is spent in fragile and conflict-affected countries, where needs are greatest and ODA can have the strongest impact.
We are also concerned about the complete removal of the 2024-25 budget for Iraq. The IRC runs an impactful FCDO-funded consortium to build peace and stability, together with local organisations representing women, youth and minority leaders. This cut means programmes such as this will cease to exist, and threatens the progress made towards sustainable peacebuilding."