DI’s response to the UK Government’s 2019 Spending Round

Yesterday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid delivered the UK Government’s 2019 Spending Round, which sets out spending plans for government departments, including the Department for International Development (DFID), for the next year.

Harpinder Collacott, Executive Director at Development Initiatives, said “We welcome the government’s pledge to continue to meet the target of spending 0.7% of GNI on aid. Preliminary OECD data indicates that the UK is one of only five DAC members that fulfilled this pledge in 2018, and it is encouraging to see this continuing commitment reflected in yesterday’s Spending Round.

“In order to build on this achievement and ensure all UK aid delivers for the world’s poorest people, it is vital that these funds are spent in ways that maximise the impact on global poverty. That means sharpening the focus of UK aid on the people and places where need is greatest, and prioritising the interventions that can make the greatest difference to peoples’ lives.

“To safeguard this focus on poverty, it is also important that the highest levels of transparency are maintained when it comes to aid spending. With an increasing proportion of aid being spent by government departments other than DFID in recent years, it’s more important than ever that practitioners, policymakers and the public can see how money is being spent. Therefore all government departments should be meeting the transparency standards adhered to by DFID by publishing timely, comprehensive and forward-looking data on their aid spending to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).”

Notes to editors:

1. Development Initiatives (DI) is an independent international development organisation that focuses on the role of data in driving poverty eradication and sustainable development. More information about DI and the work we do can be found at http://devinit.org/
2. Key data and evidence about historic aid spending trends and its unique role in poverty eradication are detailed in Development Initiatives report ‘Investments to End Poverty’
3. The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) is a global initiative to improve the transparency of development and humanitarian resources and their results for addressing poverty and crises. More information about IATI’s work and the IATI Standard can be found at https://iatistandard.org/en/

Contact:

James Harle, Communications Officer

E: [email protected]

T: +44 (0)1179 272 505