The UK Government has announced they will provide £1.98 billion over three years to the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the world’s lowest income countries, to go towards projects promoting economic growth, tackling poverty and addressing the impacts of climate change. This is a 40% increase on the UK's previous funding.
Mareen Buschmann, Global Advocacy Lead on Women’s Economic Justice at CARE International UK, said:
“It is great to see Britain show up on the global stage and increase investments for international development through its IDA contributions. The World Bank is one of the most powerful multilateral agencies to alleviate poverty, tackle climate change and strengthen gender equality in Low Income Countries.
"In the current context of the global rollback on gender equality and women’s rights, it is vital that IDA21 finances are used to foster progress for women and girls. Yet, gender equality has been downgraded in IDA21, with core targets on childcare and gender-based violence being dropped and gender equality not featuring across IDA’s priorities. Making sure gender equality is at least integrated across IDA21’s dual priority areas of poverty reduction and climate action, and reinstating country-specific childcare and gender-based violence targets, is crucial to prevent further roll-back for women and girls.
"As the UK enters the final IDA meeting in Seoul on 5-6 December with an increased financing pledge, we urge them to ensure IDA’s policy priorities reflect the UK’s priorities on gender equality and value for money.”
