Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Deferred
Reduced ODA budget diminishes UK global visibility, empowering adversaries in conflict zones.
Conclusion
With a reduced Official Development Assistance budget and a smaller budget allocation for conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts, the UK is less visible on the global stage and in key conflict zones. This opens up the space to our adversaries and competitors to make significant inroads, particularly China, Iran and Russia. (Conclusion, Paragraph 65)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response details its ongoing engagement and support for UN-led efforts to achieve a lasting settlement in Cyprus, highlighting its role as a Guarantor Power and its leadership in renewing the UNFICYP mandate. It does not address the committee's conclusion about reduced ODA budgets and their impact on UK visibility or potential for adversaries to gain influence.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Partially agree. 21. The UK is the fifth biggest contributor to the UN Regular and Peacekeeping budgets. For 2025, the UK’s share of the UN Regular Budget is $148 million. For July 2024 to June 2025, the UK’s share of the UN Peacekeeping Budget was $255 million. Our mandatory contributions will not be impacted by ODA reductions. 22. HMG remains committed to restoring ODA spending to 0.7% of GNI as soon as the fiscal circumstances allow. We will return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when, on a sustainable basis, the UK is no longer borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest forecast shows that the ODA fiscal tests are not due to be met within this Parliament. We will continue to monitor future forecasts closely. 23. Reducing the ODA budget to 0.3% of GNI reflects the evolving nature of the threats we face, but our budget remains substantial. The FCDO is working through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months. The UK Government will prioritise multilateral institutions in the ODA budget, whilst also driving reform of the multilateral system to strengthen its work on humanitarian, health, climate, and the global financial system to help lower-income countries sustain their progress and become self-sufficient. 24. While agreeing with the remainder of the recommendation, it is not possible for HMG to commit to ringfencing any future spend. The decision to allocate ODA funds when the UK returns to 0.7% GNI will be considered by Ministers in line with their priorities.
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