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Response to NAO REPORT ON UK AID SPENDING


Monday, 17 July 2017 - 7:26pm

Save the Children is concerned by findings from the National Audit Office (NAO) which show that in recent years departments other than the Department for International Development (DIFID) have been receiving a larger part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) expenditure. Please see a statement from Kirsty McNeill, the Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns below. 

Kirsty McNeill, Save the Children UK Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, said:

“Child deaths have halved in a generation. UK Aid has played an enormous part in this achievement – with the aid spent by the Department of International Development (DFID) the most transparent and impactful in the world.

“However, as today’s NAO report sets out, there is still room for improvement. UK Aid is increasingly being spent by government departments, including the Foreign Commonwealth Office, who do not always meet the same high standards as DFID.   

“Every day UK Aid is saving lives and helping countries stand on their own two feet, but we can and must do more to ensure that every pound has the biggest possible impact for the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.

“Save the Children is calling for the Government to pause any increase in aid spent outside of DFID until other departments become fully transparent and meet the same standards of quality and transparency. This will help to ensure the British public can be proud of every penny spent which has had a life-changing impact.”