A group of philanthropists, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are set to provide £93.5m ‘emergency funding’ to cover some UK foreign aid cuts.
They have said temporary funding would help save “critical projects” and ensure progress was not “wasted”.
The government has decided to reduce this year’s spending on overseas aid from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%.
HM’s government said the financial impact of the covid pandemic had forced ministers to take “tough but necessary decisions”.
The group of philanthropists, which also includes the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the ELMA Foundation and Open Society Foundations, said the emergency funds would help projects tackling preventable diseases and providing family planning and sexual health services.
Kate Hampton, chief executive of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, said: “These life-saving treatments are cost-effective investments. If they go unfunded this year, British taxpayer generosity will be wasted as clinics are closed and essential drugs expire and are thrown away.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, welcome the news of the funding saying it was “desperately needed”, he called on the government to restore its commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on foreign aid.
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: “When Britain withdraws, others step in. By cutting our aid, we have given states such as China and Russia an opportunity to expand their influence at Britain’s expense.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak previously said it was hard to “justify” the commitment with the UK facing record borrowing, and with a national debt of well over £2 trillion.
A government spokesperson said: “The UK will spend more than £10bn to improve global health, fight poverty and tackle climate change this year – making us one of the biggest aid donors in the G7.”
“We have always been clear that the government will return to spending 0.7% of GNI [gross national income] on international development as soon as the fiscal situation allows,” the spokesperson added.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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