Monday May 23, 2022
LONDON: The UK’s humanitarian aid budget was slashed by 51
percent last year, disproportionately affecting some of the world’s neediest
countries, including Yemen and Somalia, at the “worst moment in history,”
according to a senior MP with the main opposition Labour Party.
The government had pledged to cut total overseas aid from
0.7 percent of gross domestic product to 0.5 percent in November 2020.
Figures show that the cut saw the UK send £744 million ($929
million) overseas last year in humanitarian aid, down from £1.53 billion the
previous year.
The total overseas aid spend was £11.5 billion, down 21
percent from the £14.48 billion in 2020.
War-torn Yemen suffered one of the deepest cuts, with its
pool of aid falling 63 percent to £82 million, from £221 million in 2020.
The UN estimates that as many as 24 million people,
including 13 million children, require aid of some kind across the country.
Somalia, also devastated by conflict, saw its humanitarian
aid from the UK slashed by 41 percent to £71 million, from £120 million the
previous year.
Both countries have been hit hard by acute food shortages,
exacerbated in recent months by spiking prices as a result of the
Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Eastern European neighbors represent almost a third of
global wheat exports, and are vital producers of agricultural fertilizers.
The UK has dipped into its finances to find an additional
£220 million in aid for Ukraine, but the UN says the war could put as many as
1.7 billion people worldwide at risk of poverty and starvation.
Yemen in particular faces famine, with the UN estimating
that 17.4 million people are already food insecure. East Africa is also
affected by drought, with 23 million people requiring food aid.
Sarah Champion, chair of the House of Commons international
development committee, told The Observer: “It would be hard to consider a worse
moment in history for the government to be cutting its foreign aid budget.
“We are the only member of the rich country G7 grouping to
be doing so. It is having a damaging effect on our international standing — and
the survival chances of some of the poorest people on the planet.”
Sam Nadel, head of government relations at charity Oxfam,
told the paper: “The government is cutting aid at a time we have war in
Ukraine, the Covid pandemic and millions of people in Africa on the brink of
starvation.
“It’s the most horrific timing. It’s also shortsighted
because aid helps tackle global challenges, which helps the UK in the long
term.”
Another charity, Action Against Hunger, is calling for an
additional package of £750 million in aid for African countries affected by
war, drought and the coronavirus pandemic.
Kate Munro, the charity’s head of advocacy, told The
Observer: “It saves money to act early in a crisis.”
Last week, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced a new
international development strategy to target British aid more directly at areas
around the world that needed it.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: “Stepping up our
life-saving humanitarian work to prevent the worst forms of human suffering
around the world is one of the top priorities the foreign secretary laid out in
the UK’s international development strategy this week.
“We will prioritize humanitarian funding levels at £3
billion over the next three years, to remain a global leader in crisis
response, including in Africa.”