On 21 January, we were pleased to join the DevEx Pro live event ‘What next for UKAid?’ hosted by William Worley, with panelists Simon Maxwell and Harpinder Collacott. The conversation was really insightful at this critical time for UKAid, following the merger of DFID and FCO, the suspension of the UK government’s 0.7% GDP overseas aid pledge and wide-ranging budget cuts triggered by the COVID pandemic.
The discussion explored the emerging priorities for UKAid and the 3Ds agenda on Development, Diplomacy and Defence, with a strong emphasis on the need for greater clarity from the government on where these priorities would lie. There is great potential to leverage the combined expertise of DFID, the BOND network of international NGOs and the UK’s academic research institutes, and it was suggested greater coordination could mitigate the impact of some of the financial restrictions.
The conversation also stressed the need for greater collaboration between donors on a common aid agenda and country level approaches, and discussants speculated on the implications of the new Biden administration for USAid.
DevEx pro members can watch the event back here: https://www.devex.com/news/devex-pro-live-what-next-for-uk-aid-98967
