Select committee: International Development Committee

Recommendation 32

3rd Report - The Government’s efforts to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger Published 18 Mar 2025 Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We recommend that by the end of 2025 a Zero Hunger strategic delivery framework is created that acknowledges the complex interrelationships between climate, gender, disability, conflict, food security and nutrition. The framework should have clear and practical guidance for civil servants 55 and delivery partners as to how programming should take into account aspects of SDG2 in its design and how they can access technical support. Specifically: a. It should facilitate impact measurement for how programming contributes to SDG2 using the OECD Development Assistance Committee nutrition indicators, as well as consistent indicators on sustainable food systems. There should also be guidance on disaggregated data collection for women, youth and people with disabilities as well as a designated hub for the processing of the data. b. The framework should have inter-departmental applicability ensuring all programming receiving Official Development Assistance is being guided by its principles and objectives. c. We recommend all programmes eligible for funding should be required to demonstrate alignment to the strategy and set out how they address or consider the complex dimensions of hunger. d. We recommend that the delivery framework provides clear principles to guide UK diplomatic and trade activity as it relates to achieving SDG2 and guidance on how to measure policy impact in this area. e. As part of the framework, we recommend that the FCDO implement a standardised approach for lessons learning and information sharing between locally and centrally managed programme staff. (Recommendation, Paragraph 85)

From: International Development Committee, 3rd Report - The Government’s efforts to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger (HC 515), 18 March 2025

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 22 May 2025 (deadline 18 May 2025).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government's response to the Committee's report on SDG2 mostly 'partially' agrees with its recommendations, disagrees with reconsidering the cut in ODA, and ties many decisions to the ongoing Spending Review.

  • On the reduction in ODA from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, the Government says it "disagree[s] with this recommendation", calling the decision "a necessary one", and remains committed to returning to 0.7% "when fiscal circumstances allow".
  • It does not think separate assessments of climate finance or of the impact on smallholder farmers are appropriate or warranted "at this stage", but "will consider the case for further impact assessment in 2026", depending on the Spending Review outcome.
  • On the Child Nutrition Fund pledge, the Government says it is "not in a position to agree or disagree" and will set out spending plans after the Spending Review.
  • It agrees on staffing, saying it "hope[s] to recruit new Food and Agriculture advisory expertise to fill critical gaps in 2025/2026", and has paused the Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy refresh, to consider "options for updating it" after the Spending Review.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error