Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals

International Development Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Nov 2021 Closed: 23 May 2023 Parliament page
Report and Government response published The International Development Committee, which scrutinises the development work of the UK government, held an inquiry into Extreme Poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals. This inquiry looked specifically at how the development work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) impacts on United Nations’ … Read more
14 Recommendations
9 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
4 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
6 Mar
2023
Report published
13 Dec
2022
Report published
21 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
21 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
26 Apr
2022
Oral evidence
26 Apr
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
29 Mar
2022
Oral evidence
29 Mar
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
1 Mar
2022
Oral evidence
1 Mar
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
21 Jun 2022
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Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals
Andrea Solomon · Concern Worldwide Clare O'Brien · World Food Programme Mansour Ndiaye · United Nations Development Programme Prof. Olivier De Schutter · UN Human Rights Council
26 Apr 2022
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Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals
Bessie Ndovi · Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA, Malawi) Dr Githinji Gitahi · Amref Health Africa
29 Mar 2022
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Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals
Caroline Read · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Diana Layfield · British International Investment Mita Samani · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Nick O’Donohoe · CDC Group
1 Mar 2022
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Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals
Dr Sabina Alkire · Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford Rachel Glennerster · University of Chicago Romilly Greenhill · Bond Shameran Abed · BRAC International
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development G… HC 149 13 Dec 2022 23 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
12 results
Clear
3 Conclusion Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
Poor health drives people into and traps them in extreme poverty.
Poor health drives people into and traps them in extreme poverty. Withdrawing funding from programmes that fight AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases not only puts lives immediately at risk, but impacts wider objectives on education, gender equity and … Read more
Government Response
The FCDO will redouble its efforts to ensure that all girls are supported to go to school and learn through the UK’s Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) programme.
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4 Conclusion Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
Nutrition is a keystone investment.
Nutrition is a keystone investment. It builds resilience in health, improves education outcomes and strengthens the economy through labour market participation. Moreover, investing in it represents very real value for money
Government Response
The FCDO is already supporting education systems to deliver quality education for all children, focusing on foundational learning, reaching the most marginalised, and investing in teacher training.
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5 Conclusion Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
The FCDO’s commitment to supporting women and girls, particularly through education, is welcome.
The FCDO’s commitment to supporting women and girls, particularly through education, is welcome. However, reductions in aid have been shown to disproportionately affect women and girls. Girls’ education is often more vulnerable when families face hardship and particularly during conflict … Read more
Government Response
The FCDO established an on-demand expert advice facility (SPACE) and STAAR continues that support to governments and partners on strengthening social protection systems to help prevent and be able to respond to crises.
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6 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
As well as continuing to use its expertise to train teachers, the FCDO should focus...
As well as continuing to use its expertise to train teachers, the FCDO should focus education spending on the most impactful programmes for poverty reduction, particularly early years and primary education. All programmes should be disability inclusive, recognising the additional … Read more
Government Response
The government stated it supports education systems to deliver quality education for all children and has the greatest impact on poverty reduction through foundational learning and reaching the most marginalized. They cited statistics on spending on basic education and teacher training, and highlighted the Girls’ Education Challenge programme.
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7 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
The FCDO should continue to use its expertise and influence to champion social protection systems...
The FCDO should continue to use its expertise and influence to champion social protection systems and universal health coverage. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the value of such systems, which are already urgently needed due to the effects of climate change … Read more
Government Response
The government affirmed its support for social protection systems and universal health coverage, citing their response to COVID-19 and ongoing support through facilities like SPACE and STAAR. They highlighted the UK's championing of UHC and work to strengthen health systems.
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9 Conclusion Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
Adapting to climate change and building resilience is vital for poverty reduction.
Adapting to climate change and building resilience is vital for poverty reduction. Reducing the debt burden allows governments in low-and-middle-income countries to spend more on public health, education and social protection programmes. The UK Government must maintain its leadership on … Read more
Government Response
The government highlighted its commitment to climate finance and adaptation, citing the Glasgow Climate Pact. They noted the UK's pledge of £11.6bn to support vulnerable populations and the tripling of adaptation funding. The UK's level of grant-based climate finance support from 2016 to end 2020 was 89%.
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10 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
Although low-income countries are often disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and can...
Although low-income countries are often disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and can play a vital role in mitigation, they are mostly mitigating the emissions of other countries, including the UK. It is right that we invest in … Read more
Government Response
The government stated that all UK aid, including ICF spend, is reported in line with international rules on what constitutes ODA as defined and governed by OECD Development Assistance Committee.
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14 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
The Government said in its response to our inquiry that it scaled back programmes in...
The Government said in its response to our inquiry that it scaled back programmes in “countries and regions that are better positioned to bounce back from COVID-19”. It is not clear what the basis was for the reductions of allocations … Read more
Government Response
The FCDO states it has allocated its ODA budget in line with the International Development Strategy and that all ODA spent by the UK is required to meet the ‘primary purpose’ test that the provision of the assistance is likely to contribute to a reduction in poverty.
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16 Conclusion Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
Classifying all spending in low-and-middle-income countries as ODA may meet the letter of OECD rules,...
Classifying all spending in low-and-middle-income countries as ODA may meet the letter of OECD rules, but it contravenes their spirit. Programmes that may contribute to foreign policy objectives, but that do not have a measurable effect on poverty, should not … Read more
Government Response
The government stated that all UK ODA spending adheres to OECD DAC rules, promoting economic development and welfare in developing countries. The UK’s ODA spend is guided by the International Development Strategy, aligned to the SDGs and focused on poverty reduction.
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19 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
The FCDO must work with the Department for International Trade to ensure that trade policy...
The FCDO must work with the Department for International Trade to ensure that trade policy is predicated on creating inclusive, sustainable growth and supporting economic diversification, particularly in countries facing food insecurity and/or climate threats. Read more
Government Response
The FCDO has made a public commitment to attain “Very Good” in the 2024 Aid Transparency Index and intends to update planned ODA allocations in due course.
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21 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
A lack of policy coherence can lead to counterproductive actions, such as cutting funding to...
A lack of policy coherence can lead to counterproductive actions, such as cutting funding to groups and regions that have previously been identified as priorities. Creating strategies is important, but they cannot exist in silos or fail to consider other … Read more
Government Response
The government states that FCDO is required by HMT to publish Outcome Delivery Plans. It is developing a Monitoring & Evaluation framework for the International Development Strategy and working to deliver its disability inclusion and rights strategy 2022–2030. The FCDO reports to an external disability board every six months.
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22 Recommendation Accepted
Fifth Report - Extreme poverty and…
The 2022 Aid Transparency Index noted the FCDO’s deterioration in transparency compared with DFID’s performance...
The 2022 Aid Transparency Index noted the FCDO’s deterioration in transparency compared with DFID’s performance in 2020, in part due to “inconsistent publication of results, evaluations and objectives.” The FCDO failed to publish detailed budgets in its Annual Report and … Read more
Government Response
The FCDO commits to attaining "Very Good" in the 2024 Aid Transparency Index and intends to update planned ODA allocations in due course.
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Government Response AI assessment · 23 of 14 classified
Accepted 12
Acknowledged 10
Deferred 1
Total 14 recs + 9 conclusions