Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Rejected
Paragraph: 17
Calculate and commit minimum bilateral ODA for SRHR, ensuring multi-year programme funding
Recommendation
In order to meet previously set targets in this area, the FCDO should calculate a minimum percentage of bilateral Official Development Assistance to be spent on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It should explain to the Committee why it has chosen this target and ensure adequate commitment of funding. This should not be lower than spending levels before the covid-19 pandemic. The proportion of bilateral spending on population programmes/policies and reproductive health should also not be any lower than before the covid-19 pandemic at 4% of bilateral ODA spending per annum. To ensure reliability and predictability of funding, the FCDO should ensure that programme funding is given on a multiyear basis. Programmes should run for a minimum of 5 years where possible.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO disagrees with setting minimum percentage spending targets for SRHR, arguing it would reduce budget flexibility, limit financial management capabilities, and lead to suboptimal programming.
Paragraph Reference:
17
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Disagree 14. The FCDO remains committed to SRHR and this includes maintaining a strong portfolio of financial support to the sector. However, setting minimum percentage of spend targets on specific areas of work could lead to unintended outcomes. Introducing such targets reduces the flexibility of bilateral ODA budgets and could result in a suboptimal portfolio of programming that does not necessarily reflect the needs of the contexts in which the FCDO operates, including unintentionally crowding out other important work not otherwise protected by a target. 15. The FCDO is also the Department of last resort for ODA savings for any variation on ODA spend by other government departments. To rigidly earmark spend targets would limit the FCDO’s ability to properly manage government finances. 16. The FCDO is committed to empowering our experts across the world to take decisions based on local needs, guided by our approach to prioritisation and international development objectives, including on global health and SRHR. This flexibility allows our teams to adjust their programming portfolio to respond to the needs of our partners as we build long-term partnerships that work towards common development objectives and a more locally-led approach to development. In the context of an increasingly unpredictable and volatile world where development cooperation is more difficult, but more important, than ever, the introduction of further targets would risk limiting that flexibility.