Statement

Following the further detrimental reduction in UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) announced in February 2025, from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI), the Foreign Secretary has today set out how this reduced budget will be put into operation through new international development reforms. The Government’s own Equality Impact Assessment acknowledges that the reduction of ODA to 0.3% of GNI will inevitably have negative impacts for many communities, reinforcing concerns about the real‑world consequences of these cuts for women and girls' rights.

Women for Women International recognises the UK Government’s commitment to prioritising women and girls, including the intention that 90% of FCDO bilateral programmes will integrate gender equality by 2030, and the continued emphasis on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI). We also welcome the prioritisation of support to countries facing the greatest humanitarian need, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts where women are disproportionately impacted. Acknowledging women and girls as a departmental priority reflects our collective calls and ongoing advocacy, alongside partners across the sector, to protect progress on gender equality and to address the multiple and intersecting challenges faced by women living in conflict-affected contexts.

At the same time, these commitments come within the context of a significantly reduced overall ODA budget. This risks limiting the scale and reach of gender equality programming in practice and is particularly concerning because reductions to country-level allocations risk limiting support to locally-led women’s rights organisations. This risk is heightened by the fact that programme‑level funding decisions have yet to be confirmed, leaving uncertainty around support to locally-led women’s rights organisations.

Against this backdrop, the scale and the urgency of the challenges faced by women in the communities we work with are clear. Rollback of women’s rights is intensifying globally. Conflicts are becoming more protracted, attacks on women human rights defenders are increasing and the impacts of climate change continue to compound existing inequalities. For women in fragile and conflict-affected settings, these pressures are being felt simultaneously and acutely.

Progress on gender equality cannot rest on shifting strategic priorities alone. Commitments to mainstream gender equality across programmes are important but without dedicated resources, technical expertise and accountability, they do not guarantee meaningful impact. Transformative change depends on sustained, long-term investment and robust accountability systems that ensure commitments translate into tangible impact. Proposed reductions to key scrutiny mechanisms, including the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), risk weakening the oversight that underpins effective and responsible development spending.

There is also a growing tension between commitments to women and girls and increased investment in defence and security. Evidence consistently shows that sustainable peace and development are driven not by military responses, but by the leadership, participation and resourcing of women and women’s rights organisations.

Whilst we await further detail on funding allocations, we remain resolute that women’s rights advocates and organisations are central to achieving lasting peace, development and gender equality. This requires reversing the existing cuts, alongside sustained, flexible and long-term partnerships with women and women’s rights organisations, and the genuine inclusion of women’s voices and leadership in decision-making at all levels.

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