The first updated international development plan from the UK government since 2015 will “substantially rebalance” the assistance budget from multilateral organizations in preference for bilateral funding and “place economic power at the center of its development approach.”
The plan, which was released on Monday after numerous delays and is blatantly geopolitical, emphasizes encouraging trade and investment agreements under the umbrella of “British Investment Partnerships.”
Economic collaboration will “deliver for people here in the UK – investments overseas will create export opportunities in the UK, generating jobs right across the country,” the strategy claims. In order to accomplish development goals and create “opportunities for businesses and institutions in every part of the UK,” it places a strong emphasis on the promotion of “British expertise.”
Despite the fact that the development strategy claims to build on the government’s integrated Evaluation of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, which declared addressing climate change and biodiversity loss the UK’s “number one international priority,” the strategy only devotes a little over a page to the issues, which are included in the same category as global health.
Open societies and resolution of disputes, which were top priority under Dominic Raab, Liz Truss’ predecessor as foreign secretary, are barely mentioned. Despite intentions to “establish a new conflict and atrocity preventive hub that brings across all UK Government capabilities,” there is only one paragraph devoted to conflict resolution. Nothing is spoken about Truss’ idea of a world “network of liberty.”
There are also significant uncertainties regarding the amount of aid that will be distributed among various regions and topics, particularly that for women and girls, whom the plan promises to restore. The strategy states that the U.K. will “channel most of our ODA [official development assistance] toward nations with low incomes where there is a clear commitment to progress.” However, funding has not yet been chosen.
The plan also included the following announcements:
• Establishment of UK Centers of Expertise “to support governments’ pursuit of durable and resilient economic growth.”
• A new developing nation Trading Scheme, managed by the Department for International Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
• Making sure that by 2023, all new bilateral ODA complies with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and “does no harm to nature.”
The government’s recent aid cuts adversely impacted bilateral expenditure, hence the policy states that “FCDO will significantly realign its ODA investment from multinational towards bilateral channels.”
These partnerships will be “tailored to the geopolitical reality that faces low- and middle-income countries, enabling our key collaborators to navigate the challenged, competitive modern global economy while determining their own future,” according to the statement.
The remaining multilateral contributions from the United Kingdom, which have already suffered, will “reflect a proportional burden-share with partners.” However, no data or information regarding how this will be handled is provided.
Although it states that the U.K. will “sustain our commitment to Africa,” the policy also states that “partnerships will be carefully tailored.” South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana would be given priority.
“We will focus more of our resources and efforts on areas where there are appealing trade and investment prospects or in fragile states. Where our objectives are similar and we can offer value, we shall collaborate with the African Union, the document states.
According to the policy, the U.K. would collaborate with like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific area to “build strong economic results, including resilient supply chains,” while achieving humanitarian and development objectives. It does not list the targeted nations but does underline current U.K. alliances with Indonesia and India.
According to the strategy, the U.K. would approach growth with a “patient approach,” understanding that “there are no quick fixes.” However, it also intends to speed up project approval and implementation by granting “authority to our Ambassador and High Commissioners, developmental experts, and partners across government” and reducing bureaucracy.