The UK Government is at risk of backtracking on its promise to put women and girls at the heart of its foreign policy, a group of activists, advocates and celebrities are warning, ahead of Wednesday’s debate on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) spending.
In an open letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy ahead of International Women's Day (March 8th), the group – which includes the CEOs of CARE International UK and Oxfam, former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, 10 former heads of state including H.E. Joyce Banda and H.E. Aminata Toure, Dame Emma Thompson, Gary Lineker, Annie Lennox and Cherie Blair – call on the foreign secretary to target at least 20% of UK aid directly on achieving gender equality.
The caution and call to action comes after the prime minister announced the UK’s already-reduced aid budget would be slashed further to support an increase in defence spend. Research from CARE International UK shows that last time cuts were made, the Government did not consider the impact on women and girls, and women and girls were disproportionately affected by the cuts.
“Women are already leading efforts to tackle today’s greatest challenges - from humanitarian crises to grassroots movements and international negotiations. Yet their vital work is held back by attacks on their rights and a lack of investment in their leadership,” the letter says. “We cannot wait generations for equality, prosperity, or peace.”
It comes as a survey, commissioned by CARE International UK, reveals:
- 77% of the British public believe women and girls’ rights are in danger across the world.
- 86% of the British public think it’s important for the British Governments and politicians to stand up for women and girls across the world.
- 65% of the British public thinks it's important that the UK government uses its aid budget to protect women and girls' rights around the world, including more than half of all 2024 Conservative (64%), Labour (77%) and Reform (50%) voters. Only 8% of Britons think it is not important.
- 67% of the British public think taking action to support women's and girls' rights across the world does not come at the expense of economic growth. Only 11% of Britons think taking action to support women’s and girls’ rights across the world slows down economic growth.
The letter follows data analysis released by CARE International UK in February which found that the previous UK Government slashed funding for women and girls worldwide, risking decades of global progress on gender equality.
The research found that UK aid spending on gender equality has fallen year on year since 2019, and now stands at almost half of what it was pre-pandemic – falling from £6.3bn in 2019 to £3.4bn in 2022. This makes 2022 the joint lowest year on record since the UK began recording its spending on gender equality in 2014 and is disproportionate to the overall fall in aid during that time.
Speaking to why the group coordinated the letter Helen McEachern, CEO of CARE International UK, said:
Read the open letter“The prime minister has followed the path of other leaders in making the short-sighted and reactionary decision to slash the UK’s aid budget – undermining both the progress made and Britain’s standing in the world. We are calling on the Government to reverse the cuts and ensure 20% of UK aid is ringfenced for gender equality projects, protecting the most vulnerable women and girls.
“Women globally are facing a rollback of their rights and are paying the price for decisions made primarily by men. Meanwhile aid is being slashed on the global stage – which evidence shows will hit those who need it most the hardest.
"Ignoring the vital role that women and international aid play in making the UK and our world, safer, healthier, and more sustainable for everyone is an own goal for the Government. We stand at a crossroads: what the Government decides to do now with its aid budget could shape the future for women and whole societies, for decades to come.”
Notes to editors
- Full letter, and list of signatories can be viewed here
- CARE’s data analysis into gender equality funding can be downloaded here
- The survey referenced is a nationally representative survey of 2,013 Britons undertaken by More in Common on behalf of Care International UK. The fieldwork for this survey took place between 21 and 24 February. Full results, question wording, and methodological information can be found here
Media enquiries
For more information and interviews, please contact Zaina Alibhai at alibhai@careinternational.org
