The FCDO's approach to displaced people

International Development Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 9 Dec 2024 Closed: 17 Sep 2025 Parliament page
2024 saw a continuing rise in global displacement, with at least 117.3 million people forced to flee their homes, including nearly 43.4 million refugees, around 40% of whom are under the age of 18. These vast movements of peoples, and the associated costs and disruptions, can cause significant problems in … Read more
11 Recommendations
12 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
4 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
3 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
29 Apr
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
1 Apr
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
4 Mar
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
FCDO’s approach to displaced people; FCDO's Approach to Value for Money
Matthew Wyatt · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Melinda Bohannon · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office The Rt Hon. the Baroness Chapman of Darlington · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
The FCDO's approach to displaced people
Achim Steiner · United Nations Development Programme Arafat Jamal · UNHCR Colin Buckley · British International Investment Mónica Ferro · UNFPA
The FCDO’s approach to displaced people
Bethan Lewis · Plan International UK Daphne Jayasinghe · International Rescue Committee Dr Jessica Hagen-Zanker · ODI Global Gideon Rabinowitz · Bond Hélène Kuperman-Le-Bihan · Mines Advisory Group Louis Hoffmann · International Organization for Migration
The FCDO's approach to displaced people
Belinda Fatimah Katy Nembe Katonda · CAFOD Tinebeb Berhane · ActionAid Ethiopia Zohal
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
7 Recommendation Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
Formulate independent strategy for preventing and reducing displacement, not outsourcing to multilaterals.
Engagement with the World Bank’s fragility, conflict and violence strategy update is positive, but the Government should not assume that it can outsource to multilateral institutions the need to also formulate strategy on preventing and reducing displacement. (Conclusion, Paragraph 57) Read more
Government Response
The government explicitly states it does not assume it can outsource the need to formulate its own strategy on preventing and reducing displacement, affirming it has developed a cross-cutting strategic approach to address forced displacement.
15 Recommendation Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
Develop a robust strategy and data-led methodology for gender mainstreaming and integration.
The Government must develop a robust strategy and a consistent, data-led methodology for mainstreaming and integration, to ensure that its efforts to mainstream and integrate gender take place in tandem with stand-alone programming (Recommendation, Paragraph 81) Working with the private … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to develop a robust, data-led strategy and methodology for mainstreaming and integration, stating it is currently refreshing its approach to strengthen gender and equalities issues across its work.
17 Recommendation Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
Work with British International Investment to target investment at mitigating displacement drivers.
The FCDO should work alongside British International Investment ahead of its 2026 strategy refresh, including on how BII can place more emphasis on, and better target investment at, mitigating the drivers of displacement across fragile and conflict-affected states. (Recommendation, Paragraph … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to work closely with British International Investment ahead of its 2026 strategy refresh, committing to explore a wide range of priorities including how BII's ambitions in fragile markets can further mitigate displacement drivers.
18 Conclusion Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
Insufficient progress meeting localisation commitments in humanitarian programming.
Despite long-standing commitments, the Government is not making sufficient progress in meeting its commitments to localisation in humanitarian programming. The steps taken by the UNHCR on improving localisation in its partnerships should serve as a blueprint for how the Government … Read more
Government Response
The government details existing efforts to direct humanitarian funding to local organisations, engage with UNHCR, and advocate for increased funding to local actors through pooled funds.
20 Recommendation Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
Set out plan to rapidly increase engagement with local actors in humanitarian settings
In response to this report, the Department must set out how it will make rapid progress in meeting commitments made, principally via the Grand Bargain and Global Compact on Refugees, to increase its engagement with and utilisation of local and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees, detailing how it is making progress by leading global donor efforts to transform humanitarian funding, increasing contributions to pooled funds for local organizations, and integrating local leadership into FCDO partnerships through initiatives like the Sahel Regional Fund and support for the Start Network.
21 Conclusion Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
FCDO's sub-optimal data collection limits accurate targeting of displacement spending
The FCDO may be limited in its ability to accurately target displacement- related humanitarian and development spending owing to its sub-optimal data collection. (Conclusion, Paragraph 102)
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of improving displacement-related data and lists various ongoing projects and pledges, including contributions to the UN's CRAF'd and EGRISS, and ONS efforts, to enhance data collection and statistical inclusion.
22 Recommendation Accepted
6th report - The FCDO's Approach t…
Start systematically tracking and publishing official data on spending for refugees overseas
To help determine a baseline and future targets, the FCDO should start systematically tracking and publishing official data on how much it spends on supporting refugees and internally displaced people overseas. (Recommendation, Paragraph 103)
Government Response
The government states it already systematically tracks and reports data on spending for refugees and IDPs to the OECD, which is then published online.
Government Response AI assessment · 23 of 11 classified

Total 11 recs + 12 conclusions