Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Rejected
Reconsider cuts to women and girls-specific programming and consider ringfencing funding.
Recommendation
In the light of these impact assessments, the Government must reconsider the cuts to women and girls-specific programming announced by the Minister and should consider ringfencing funding for this programming. (Recommendation, Paragraph 80)
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation, stating that 2025/26 ODA programme allocations have already been made with protections for women and girls, and they will use diplomacy to maximise impact despite reduced spending, with future allocations under review for 2026/27-2028/29.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Disagree Decisions on the FCDO’s 2025/26 ODA programme allocations have been made. As confirmed by the Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA), the allocations process for 2025/26 has protected against disproportionate impacts on women and girls and people living with disabilities. Inevitably, reducing our ODA spend means that for some themes, there will be less to spend, but less money does not necessarily mean less action. We will use our convening power and diplomacy to maximise our impact in these areas, increase the use of expertise to provide technical assistance to partner governments, and – in the case of gender equality objectives in particular – embed this work across our international action. We are 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 an equality impact assessment, ahead of publishing indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months. EIAs are an essential part of how we make decisions on ODA programme allocations.