Christian Aid has described the proposed merger of the Department for International Development (DFID) with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as ‘an act of political vandalism’, saying the merger is a retreat from the UK’s ambition to be a world leader in the fight against poverty.
Patrick Watt, Christian Aid’s Director of policy, public affairs and campaigns said:
‘Stripping the Department for International Development (DFID) of its independence and folding it into the Foreign and Commonwealth office threatens a double whammy to people in poverty, and to our standing in the world.
‘The timing couldn’t be worse for people living in poverty, when for the first time in a generation, COVID-19 is driving a dramatic increase in extreme poverty. Far from being a symbol of ‘global Britain’, this move risks making Britain more parochial, and weakening its credibility in the rest of the world.
‘Without an independent DFID the UK’s ability to help tackle poverty, and the impacts of the climate crisis and conflict, will be reduced. The government’s own independent aid watchdog shows that aid spent by DFID is more effective and transparent than aid being spent by other government departments. The UK has a moral responsibility towards the world’s poorest.
‘As Christian Aid’s chair Dr Rowan Williams said during the last general election campaign, “we need an intelligent and independent Department of International Development embedded in a government that thinks about long-term global stability. There is not much point in a development programme that co-exists – for example – with selling arms to states pursuing aggressive and brutalising wars with their neighbours.”‘
The statement is available on the Christian Aid website.
