It is the responsibility of the Government to remain accountable to the public, principally through Parliament, on how ODA is spent. However, it is also morally obliged to be accountable to those receiving UK ODA and their governments. We agree with the Development Minister that ODA should not be seen as simply a tool for increasing the influence of the UK. However, in a contested world, the UK cannot allow any misunderstanding about its commitment to its bilateral partners which could give i...

It is the responsibility of the Government to remain accountable to the public, principally through Parliament, on how ODA is spent. However, it is also morally obliged to be accountable to those receiving UK ODA and their governments. We agree with the Development Minister that ODA should not be seen as simply a tool for increasing the influence of the UK. However, in a contested world, the UK cannot allow any misunderstanding about its commitment to its bilateral partners which could give its adversaries a foothold. Moreover, as the Government recognises, the UK’s diplomatic capital allows it to affect changes that dramatically improve the Type: conclusion | Number: 4 | Response status: no_published_response Government response: Disagree 7. The Government is putting modern development partnerships at the heart of its new approach, reflecting the needs of the UK’s partners. Through our refreshed approach to partnerships, the FCDO will respond to the needs of our partners and be bett