“The choices made by adults are more often than not affecting children poorly. Please be part of a global change of attitude that has children's needs in strong focus.” Anna, to her MP.
Within hours of Boris Johnson’s announcement that the Department for International Development (DFID) would be merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, tens of thousands of outraged people had emailed the Cabinet Office to express their frustration and disappointment.1
I was one of them. I’ve worked at Save the Children for over three years and have seen the impact that UK aid has made on children’s lives and communities. You don’t have to take my word for it – you can listen to children like Runa and Leolida, or to Omar who works in Pakistan. For those of us who are proud that our taxes have helped to tackle poverty by vaccinating millions of children and helping girls access education, this comes as a huge blow.2
At the time of writing, more than 3,000 Save the Children supporters like Anna (see above) have written to their Member of Parliament asking them to take action to make sure that children’s futures aren’t threatened by this move. From heartfelt handwritten letters to conversations on social media, people are making their voices heard – and MPs are responding. Many are just as upset as we are, having seen the benefits of UK aid themselves.
Why does the merger matter?
This merger – and the way it has been announced – matters. It makes a statement. During the biggest social and economic crisis of our lifetimes, our Prime Minister has chosen to put national interest above global collaboration. But we can’t dwell on the bad decision itself – we must move to mitigate the potentially harmful impacts.
The strength of our communities, the opportunities we have and the systems we have access to are key to our life chances. UK aid has helped to lay the foundations for millions of children to build brighter futures. We can’t let those foundations be broken in pursuit of political ends.
What will the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office look like?
As media attention moves on to newer issues, discussions in closed rooms about the future of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Department begin. Save the Children and our supporters will be holding the government to account for how they organise the new department – and how they spend taxpayers’ money.
If coronavirus has shown us anything, it’s that those who are already most disadvantaged have the most to lose. Data analysed by Save the Children and Unicef has warned that 100 million children could be pushed into poverty by the economic impacts of the pandemic – and that 30 years of development progress could be undone.
Strong healthcare systems, social safety nets and flexible institutions are needed to provide a stable foundation for children to thrive. This is true when tackling any of the biggest challenges that we face globally – climate change, inequality, conflict, pandemics – none of which respect borders.
Therefore, we’re advocating that:
- Aid remains focused on reaching those who need it most – on tackling poverty for the poorest children and creating strong healthcare, nutrition and education systems that give them the best start in life.
- The aid budget continues to live up to the world-leading reputation that DFID has earned for its standards of transparency. This means it must be scrutinised properly in Parliament.
- Development and diplomacy are considered on equal terms. This means working together on the ground and in the UK, not being led by foreign policy interests.
The world is in a period of serious upheaval, and vital conversations about race, equity and access have more oxygen than ever. We’re all thinking and talking about how we can make a better world. As the merger takes place, we’ll be watching to make sure it’s an opportunity to put collaboration, fairness and accountability at the heart of the UK’s diplomacy and development work.
If you’re one of the thousands of people who wrote to Boris Johnson or your MP – thank you. Please keep us updated on any response you hear by emailing [email protected].
If you haven’t written to your MP and would like to, email them now.
1 Since the summer of 2019, more than 140,000 people have written letters, postcards and tweets to the government asking them not to scrap DFID.
2 DFID helped to vaccinate more than 760 million children since 2000; its Girls Education Challenge aims for all girls to get 12 years of education.
