In response to Keir Starmer’s announcement that the UK government will cut spending on Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% of GNI to 0.3% by 2027, Simon Cooke, MSI Reproductive Choices’ CEO, said:
“There couldn’t be a worse moment for the UK government to announce a cut in aid, stepping back from their commitments to international development. Following the Trump administration’s careless dismantling of USAID, health systems around the world are at breaking point, human rights are being rolled back, and life-saving development programmes have ground to a halt. It is the poorest people and communities who will pay the price, from women on the frontline of the climate crisis in Senegal to survivors of gender-based violence in Afghanistan.
“While we recognise that the UK government is having to navigate difficult choices and make many hard decisions, cuts to reproductive health shouldn’t be one of them. UK aid spending to support women and girls is almost half of what it was pre-pandemic, and any further cuts will put lives at risk and undo decades of progress.
“The UK has been a proud defender and supporter of sexual and reproductive health and rights and are one of the few governments who are willing to speak out on these issues. In these unprecedented times, UK global leadership is needed more than ever.”
Notes to Editors
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