Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Not Addressed
Department failed to learn from cuts to peacebuilding programming, risking escalating conflict.
Conclusion
The Department has failed to learn the lessons from previous cuts to stabilisation, peacebuilding and deconfliction programming, which likely contributed to the escalation of conflict in Sudan going unchallenged. We are concerned that the recent cuts to the Integrated Security Fund will lead to escalating conflict, with unpredictable ramifications for the UK both at home and abroad. (Conclusion, Paragraph 40)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government justifies the decision to reduce the ODA budget to 0.3% of GNI, stating plans to return to 0.7% when fiscal circumstances allow, but does not address the committee's concern about a failure to learn lessons from previous cuts or the impact on conflict escalation.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
13. The UK government does not accept that changes in funding for peacebuilding in Sudan contributed to conflict escalating without challenge. 14. The UK uses a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of conflict - combining diplomacy, development, and security, and working with our international partners. We are also driving reform of the multilateral system to better focus resources and strengthen effectiveness and supporting the efforts of regional mediators such as Qatar to bring violent conflict to an end. 15. The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) is one part of the UK’s broader peacebuilding efforts, prioritising overseas conflict work that both benefits UK national security and supports stability in partner countries. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) supported peacebuilding in Darfur until 2021. The Sudan Peace & Reconciliation Programme, funded bilaterally by the FCDO, continued many of the same activities including transitional justice, peace processes and conflict sensitivity, demonstrating the UK’s ongoing commitment to peace and stability in Sudan. 16. We are also a major donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, contributing over £7m last year to support peacebuilding in over 40 countries, including Sudan. 17. The UK government has gained valuable insights from its past involvement in stabilisation and peacebuilding efforts. These insights are now being applied across government departments through a new stabilisation toolkit. This toolkit provides practical guidance on making strategic decisions, including understanding trade-offs, navigating complex environments - especially in conflict zones - and building strong partnerships that ensure local communities have ownership of peacebuilding initiatives. 18. The toolkit draws on lessons and evidence from key areas such as security, justice, and cross-border threats. Although the toolkit is primarily intended for UK government staff, it has also attracted interest from international partners, including other governments, global organisations, and civil society groups. We plan to launch the toolkit across departments and publish it online by the end of the year. (Conclusion 4, Paragraph 48) Climate change is a current and growing driver of displacement, and the Department must better integrate the modelling of climate threats into its planning for its displacement work.
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