New international development plan focuses on bilateral aid and challenging ‘dependency on malign actors’
Britain has launched a new international development programme with a focus on challenging “dependency on malign actors”.
Liz Truss made the announcement with a written statement on Monday, saying the new vision would try to address “increasing global challenges”.
The plan, launched as Britain continues to oppose Russia’s war in Ukraine, also looks to “provide honest and reliable finance to help low- and middle-income countries” so they are not “burdened with unsustainable debt with strings attached”.
The UK will also look to spend more money on programmes for individual countries and bilateral programmes, reducing the need to use multilateral organisations.
The government will spend more directly through individual countries while reducing the amount channelled through multilateral organisations.
The written statement said “by 2025, the FCDO intends to spend around three-quarters of its aid budget allocated at the 2021 Spending Review bilaterally.”
Russia has used its oil and gas supply to try and oppose sanctions and restrictions, cutting off fuel to countries such as Poland, and threatening to stop selling it to Finland, over its bid to join NATO.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Malign actors treat economics and development as a means of control, using patronage, investment and debt as a form of economic coercion and political power.
“We won’t mirror their malign tactics, but we will match them in our resolve to provide an alternative.
“The new strategy, launched today, will ensure that our international development work brings benefit across the globe and here at home.”
Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development, Preet Kaur Gill MP branded the new plan “aid for trade'” saying it “simply doesn’t work.”
“British people want the aid budget to help those most in need around the world, not horse-traded for favours to big British corporations.
“This strategy also dramatically weakens and will cut funds to the United Nations and our multilateral system. In the middle of climate change and war in Ukraine, Britain must not turn its back on the world’s poorest.”