EDM 848: Changes to Overseas Development Assistance

That this House expresses concern over the Government’s decision to reduce the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI); agrees with the importance of strengthening the UK’s national security and defence commitments, particularly in light of increasing global security challenges, but recognises that a cut to ODA diminishes the UK’s soft power; regrets that the UK’s retreat from its status as an international aid superpower creates a vacuum into which Russian and Chinese influence will flow; acknowledges the intimate connection between supporting international aid and preventing conflict abroad; reflects on the benefits to UK security of promoting stability abroad; notes that ODA investment is an essential tool in tackling poverty, promoting stability, and reducing the causes of conflict and migration, all of which serve the UK’s own security interests; further regrets that this cut represents the lowest UK aid contribution as a percentage of GNI since 1999, diminishing the UK’s long-standing reputation as a global leader in humanitarian assistance and development; further notes with alarm that an increasing proportion of the UK’s ODA is being spent on in-donor refugee costs rather than directly supporting poverty reduction, humanitarian aid, and sustainable development overseas; calls on the Government to reconsider this decision and explore alternative means to meet its defence spending commitments without cutting international aid; and urges Ministers to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to global security and development, ensuring that national strength is not built at the cost of global responsibility.