Yesterday the UK government confirmed that it would renege on the Conservative Party’s manifesto promise of ensuring that 0.7% of national income would be spent on overseas aid. Across the political spectrum, people have been critical of this decision, recognising that at a time when people in low and middle-income countries need support the most, we begin to turn our backs on them.
In Disability Africa’s August 2020 survey of the families we support:
94% of families across our projects said that things had become difficult, or very difficult, since the onset of the pandemic;
93.6% reported a loss of both income and food security;
A majority reported that their children had to go without regular meals, toys, social interaction and sanitary products;
And several parents described it as being the hardest time in their lives.
Clearly, the pandemic has exacerbated problems already faced by many people in the communities that we operate in and this is reflected across the world. Covid-19 is likely to result in 150 million additional people being pushed into extreme poverty. The UN’s food agency has warned of famines of ‘biblical proportions’, while 500 million children are unable to access education due to the virus.
This decision by the UK government means that fewer people will receive life-saving vaccinations and many will go without clean water. It also means huge numbers of people will be left to starve. Much of the UK’s aid budget is focused on life-saving humanitarian aid which ensures people have the very basics they need to survive. Cutting this “will be the cause of 100,000 preventable deaths, mainly among children”, according to former Conservative International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell.
Even if you’re not convinced that money spent saving lives is money well-spent (and this really should be enough), the pandemic has highlighted how inter-connected we all are. An outbreak in one country led to outbreaks across the world. Similarly, instability in one country can lead to instability across an entire region, which could impact every country in the world. Cutting support to the most vulnerable at an already difficult time will inevitably lead to instability.
Tough decisions may be necessary but should the poorest people pay for this? As the phrase goes, “Charity begins at home, but it should not end there”. Over 99% of the country’s national income can be spent “at home”, but let’s not forget our duty to protect, support and include the most disadvantaged people on our planet. We should remember that inclusion benefits everyone.
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Featured image via Flickr – Chatham House