By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The UK has frozen “non-essential” new international aid in a move likely to hit climate programmes in developing countries.
The finance ministry’s chief secretary Simon Clarke told the foreign ministry last week to limit new payments over concerns that the UK will spend more than its self-imposed limit of 0.5% of national income, the Financial Times reported.
Like many countries, the UK boosted aid to Ukraine after it was invaded by Russia in February. As the war was unexpected, this aid was not planned and other budgets have been raided to pay for it.
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Clare Shakya, of the International Institute for Environment and Development, said the finance ministry’s latest move was “extremely concerning”.
She said, “While there will always be pressures on the national budget, we can’t afford to kick the can down the road on climate change.
“At a time of crippling food shortages, conflict and in the midst of the climate crisis, making unexpected cuts in this way will have serious consequences for peoples’ lives and livelihoods and will seriously undermine the trust in the UK government.”
Among the projects whose budgets were cut as a result was “Tomorrow’s Cities”, which promotes resiliences to climate disasters in Nairobi, Kathmandu, Quito and Istanbul.
