Written question asked by Lord Bates (Conservative) on Thursday, 23 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 6 August 2026. It was answered by Lord Wood of Anfield (Labour) on Friday, 31 July 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Development Aid

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the planned reduction in spending on official development assistance from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent.

Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is prioritising Official Development Assistance (ODA) where humanitarian needs are most acute - to reach those in greatest need and reduce the harm caused by violence and atrocities, including in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. With greater instability, humanitarian need growing, and poverty becoming more concentrated in places affected by conflict, we are increasing the proportion of spending in fragile and conflict affected states by around 13 percentage points to over 70 per cent of all FCDO country and regional spending by 2028/29, and will spend £1.4 billion per year in countries with the most humanitarian need over this Spending Review period. With this support, we want to see increased allocation of humanitarian resources to cost-effective, localised delivery mechanisms; and a more streamlined, prioritised and efficient multilateral humanitarian system.

Secondary information