Today, we stand dismayed by the Government’s plan to reduce aid spending to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) in 2027—the lowest level since 1999—to fund higher defence spending. This will undermine not just Britain’s global moral responsibility, but the very climate and nature action urgently needed in the Global South—as our travelling exhibition, Letters from the Global South, is highlighting across UK communities.
From global leader to broken promises
The UK once stood as a beacon of hope, proudly meeting the UN’s 0.7% GNI target for overseas aid—a commitment enshrined in law since 2015. Yet since the Conservatives’ decision in 2020 to slash this to 0.5%, we’ve watched this legacy crumble. The implications are devastating, particularly for Global South communities least responsible for the climate-nature crisis yet bearing its heaviest burdens. This isn’t merely a financial retreat—it’s a betrayal of trust and a direct threat to our intertwined fights for climate justice and nature restoration. This isn’t just a question of morals, it makes little economic sense, and contradicts the platform of change Labour stood on. As the International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds emphasised in her letter of resignation, you cannot claim to support Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine; vaccinations; climate action; or rules-based systems while simultaneously cutting the ODA budget.
Real people, real consequences
The human cost of these cuts is staggering:
- In Tanzania, UK aid once supported Water Witness International‘s efforts to bolster climate resilience for 5 million vulnerable people. This program was entirely eliminated, leaving families exposed to worsening droughts and floods.
- In Nepal, a project empowering 3,000 girls with menstruation education through the Karuna Trust lost funding, compounding climate-driven displacement with social inequity.
- In Nigeria, Women for Women International saw a three-year grant terminated mid-stream, halting support for women rebuilding lives in conflict zones worsened by environmental degradation.
These aren’t abstract statistics—they represent farmers in South Sudan losing food security projects, health workers in Uganda watching childhood cancer initiatives stall, and forest protectors in Gabon left without resources to maintain carbon-absorbing rainforests.
The UK’s £11.6 billion climate finance pledge through 2026 is now a shadow of its ambition, with over half backloaded to the final years—if fulfilled at all. The pressure on the aid budget, squeezed by domestic spending, has forced brutal trade-offs, decimating humanitarian and nature-based programs when they’re needed most.
Climate justice demands better
The Global South stands on the frontline of a crisis it didn’t create. These nations, with emissions footprints often dwarfed by the UK’s, face rising seas, scorching heatwaves, and collapsing ecosystems. The Paris Agreement promised support—financial and technical—to help them adapt and mitigate. The UK’s retreat from these commitments risks unraveling that pact; as if developing countries feel abandoned, we face not just diplomatic fallout but a fractured global effort when unity should be non-negotiable.
Further cuts would shred the UK’s credibility as a climate and nature leader. After hosting COP26 in 2021 and rallying the world to “keep 1.5°C alive”, how can we expect poorer nations to trust us when we’ve reneged on promises? The £3 billion earmarked for nature within the climate finance pledge—vital for projects like forest restoration—hangs in the balance, undermining global biodiversity goals just as the CAN Bill seeks to strengthen them domestically.
Let’s be clear—cutting aid is a false economy. Supporting climate adaptation abroad reduces migration pressures, conflict, and disease—issues that inevitably affect the UK. As Keir Starmer himself noted in 2021, “development aid reduces conflict. It is a false economy to pretend that this is some sort of cut that doesn’t have consequences.”
The path forward: Restore 0.7% now
We, at Zero Hour, say—enough is enough. The Government must not only halt further cuts but restore the aid budget to 0.7% of GNI. This isn’t charity; it’s justice and an investment in a stable planet. The CAN Bill demands joined-up action on climate and nature, and that vision must extend beyond our borders. Restoring the 0.7% target would:
- Rebuild trust: Show the Global South that the UK honors its commitments, strengthening our position in global climate negotiations.
- Amplify impact: Fund clean energy, adaptation, and nature projects that serve as lifelines for vulnerable communities.
- Lead by example: Inspire other donors to step up, accelerating progress toward the $100 billion annual climate finance goal.
The Government’s own data shows public support for aid increased after the initial cuts—53% of Britons backed maintaining or increasing it in 2021, up from 44%. People understand what’s at stake. From flood-ravaged villages in Pakistan to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, the need is undeniable. The UK can afford this. 0.7% is explicitly proportional to how well our economy is doing—and can go down, as well as up—but what we cannot afford is the cost of inaction.
To the Chancellor and Prime Minister, we say, it’s time to reverse course. Set a clear timetable to return to 0.7%. Fund it transparently, without raiding other vital budgets. The CAN Bill campaign stands for a future where nature and climate thrive together—let’s ensure that future includes the Global South, not just Britain’s backyard. The world is watching, and history will judge this Government, and this Parliament, by what happens next.
Learn more about Zero Hour and Muslims Declare‘s exhibition, Letters from the Global South, at lettersfromtheglobalsouth.org.
