July 14, 2021
All We Can has today released a statement in response to the vote in Parliament on Tuesday.Graeme Hodge, CEO of All We Can said, ‘As a nation we’d led the way, globally, through our commitment to UKAid. This week’s vote has resulted in a devastating political decision which will harm those with very little already, both today and into the future.’All We Can and its partners warn, in the statement, of the impact on health services and education in the poorest places:
The decision made by the parliamentary vote on UK Aid yesterday, and the cuts made to the UK Aid budget previously, are having a devastating and future-threatening impact on communities who endure extreme poverty every day.Adequate funding is a necessary part of ensuring that children can go to school, that we move closer to gender equality, that basic healthcare is provided, that sustainable community development takes place. Where poorer countries cannot afford to do that, UK Aid can have a very positive impact on the poorest in our world, when funds are allocated well and without political agenda. The reneging on manifesto promises, breaking of laws on aid commitments, and the abandonment of vulnerable people in the midst of a pandemic is immoral and short-sighted. The further ambiguity of when the UK will return to its commitment to 0.7% funding for the aid budget, will have a life-threatening effect on millions of people around the world.The vote in Parliament yesterday, to continue cuts indefinitely, is particularly illogical in the knowledge that a commitment to aid funding is set as a percentage (0.7%) of the UK’s Gross National Income (GNI), changing each year, ensuring that it is never beyond what we as a nation can afford.The impact of this decision will mean that there will be an even greater burden on the world’s poorest communities, on local organisations in those same communities, and on charities like All We Can, to play an even bigger role in supporting those communities to cover the gap that is created by this ongoing uncertainty.
