UK to cut aid to Commonwealth countries to £131m — The Guardian
The United Kingdom will cut bilateral aid to Commonwealth countries from £546 million in 2024–2025 to £131 million in 2028–2029. Of this amount, £68 million is planned for Nigeria, leaving £63 million for other countries, The Guardian reports.
Programme cuts
According to the publication, the cuts are taking place amid an overall reduction in the UK international aid budget. London is reducing support for states it considers to be rapidly developing and middle-income, including India and Antigua. At the same time, the cuts will also affect countries that remain among the least developed and carry a significant debt burden.
Aid to Sierra Leone is set to fall from almost £30 million in 2024–2025 to £5 million in 2028–2029. The United Kingdom and Sierra Leone will next week co-host one of the tracks of negotiations on adapting to the effects of the climate crisis at the COP31 summit in Turkey.
Funding for Rwanda is also planned to be cut from almost £30 million to £5 million over the same period. Aid to Tanzania is expected to decline from £60 million in 2025–2026 to £5 million in 2028–2029. The Caribbean development team’s budget, according to the cited data, will be reduced from more than £98 million in 2025–2026 to £45 million in 2026–2027.
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Nature conservation funding
According to experts, the reduction in funding for nature protection is particularly noticeable. At least 26 Commonwealth countries can no longer apply for funding from the Darwin Initiative, a long-standing nature conservation support programme with an annual budget of about £40 million.
Campaign for Nature representative Adrian Gagan said that countries with high biodiversity, many of which also have high poverty levels, are facing substantial cuts in support. He also noted that the United Kingdom has not made a financial contribution to the Commonwealth Nature Initiative, launched this week with the participation of the King.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is taking place this week in Antigua. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was asked to comment on the cited data.
