The Government said in its response to our inquiry that it scaled back programmes in “countries and regions that are better positioned to bounce back from COVID-19”. It is not clear what the basis was for the reductions of allocations by more than half in, for example, Yemen, South Sudan and Ethiopia. What is clear, not least from the cuts to programmes in Africa, is that impact on poverty reduction was given far less consideration than it should have been, given that that should be the prima...

The Government said in its response to our inquiry that it scaled back programmes in “countries and regions that are better positioned to bounce back from COVID-19”. It is not clear what the basis was for the reductions of allocations by more than half in, for example, Yemen, South Sudan and Ethiopia. What is clear, not least from the cuts to programmes in Africa, is that impact on poverty reduction was given far less consideration than it should have been, given that that should be the primary purpose of UK ODA. The FCDO must urgently review the methodology used when making these cuts, and explain in its response to this report how it will a Type: conclusion | Number: 14 | Paragraph: 75 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: The FCDO has allocated its ODA budget in line with the International Development Strategy, particularly focussing on support for humanitarian programmes and women and girls, while also taking into account the potential new and emerging needs and p