Displaying items by tag: women's health

The Government has confirmed sweeping cuts to foreign aid, reducing spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income to prioritise defence. The deepest reductions will affect Africa, particularly in vital areas such as children's education, women's health, and water sanitation, raising fears of increased disease and death. Bond, a UK coalition of aid organisations, warned that the most marginalised, especially women and children in conflict-affected regions like South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, will suffer most. Despite claims of a strategic, targeted review, critics argue the government is deprioritising areas like gender equality and humanitarian crises. The UK will maintain funding for certain multilateral partners, including the World Bank’s International Development Association and the Gavi vaccine alliance, while threatening cuts to underperforming global institutions. Aid advocates call for a renewed commitment to protecting vulnerable lives, accusing ministers of prioritising political interests over human dignity. These cuts come amid public scepticism over aid spending and international calls for the UK to do more, not less.