Amid a global pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his decision on the 17 June to merge the Department for International Development (DFID) with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The word came from Downing Street that the new department, named the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) would “mobilise every one of our national assets, including our aid budget and expertise, to safeguard British interests and values overseas.”
In a swift address to the nation, two further things became clear. UK ambassadors overseas would hold authority over British aid portfolios in their respective countries. While here at home, the Foreign Secretary would be given the reins of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The news came as an unwelcome surprise to many civil servants, international development leaders and NGOs alike. Thousands of concerned members of the public wrote to the government in protest.
Influential voices in the sector spoke out immediately against the merger. Our own Chief Eexecutive, Kevin Watkins, warned that the move would threaten the UK’s unrivalled leadership in development and that the government had proposed this change at the worst moment for the world’s poorest children, “a time when they need the UK’s support and solidarity.”
Why now?
As COVID-19 threatens to undo years of progress in improved life outcomes, dismantling the very structure through which the UK has established itself as a leader in systems strengthening, international governance and human rights is a dangerous gamble.
While the Prime Minister spoke of “British interests overseas”, many of us in the sector were concerned about the protection of aid. Aid that must remain independent of British commercial interests and stay laser-focused on the improvement of life outcomes for the world’s poorest and most marginalised people – regardless of who or where they are.
The future of British aid
Over the next 12 weeks, Save the Children will deliver a blog series sharing key insights from decades of work in international development. You will be able to hear from technical experts across a range of thematic areas – the Sustainable Development Goals, education, health, nutrition, aid financing, social protection, debt relief and the humanitarian–development nexus.
At this moment, countries around the world are locked in a fight to overcome the multiple threats of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever the UK – a member of the G7, G20 and UN Security Council – must uphold its commitment to human rights and its mandate to improve the lives of the poorest and most marginalised children and their families.
Through this blog series, we will make the case that the future of British aid must be firmly rooted in reducing poverty and independent of Britain’s commercial interests.
Keeping what's most important
As plans for the FCDO develop, Save the Children urges the UK Government to retain its commitment to poverty reduction and to leave no child behind, as stated in the Conservative Party manifesto. The establishment of the FCDO provides an opportunity to ensure British aid is aligned more closely than ever to the needs of the poorest communities. A humanitarian and rights-based approach must be at the centre of the new FCDO’s strategy on aid. Tackling global inequities must be its mandate.
For 23 years, DFID has been unrivalled in its ability to achieve evidence-based programming for development. Globally, DFID civil servants and technical advisers have fostered key relationships with international partners, garnered expertise across thematic areas and gained a reputation for transparency and accountability in aid spending.
To lose this in the merger would be a grave discredit to the work of many. And could be a devastating blow to the futures of millions of the world’s poorest children.
Read more from our blog series on The Future of British Aid.
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