Tag: overseas development aid

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Southwark highlights cuts to overseas development aid

On 21st May 2026, the Bishop of Southwark spoke during the Kings Speech Debate on foreign affairs, defence and diplomacy, lamenting the recent cuts to overseas development aid:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I endorse what the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, said about the vile harm of increasing antisemitism in our nation. I am glad that widespread condemnation is being matched by solidarity and community action. I also welcome what the Minister said about working for and recognising a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, but ask that urgent attention be given to the threat posed by the E1 developments in the West Bank, which would imperil such a solution.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about education and forced marriage

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on preventing forced marriage and pregnancy as barriers to women’s education during a discussion on official development assistance on 4th November 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, while we are on the theme of supporting women, as I travel around I find that one of the greatest impairments to young girls completing their education is that they are forced into pregnancy—sometimes by their families—at a very young age, pre leaving school. What can His Majesty’s Government do to help prevent young girls being made pregnant, usually by older men and in very difficult circumstances?

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about overseas development aid

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 17th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, following the recent announcement of the diversion of funds from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to the defence budget, whether they plan to decrease the proportion of ODA spent on in-donor refugee support.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about impact of Israeli legislation on aid to Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 13th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the Associations Bill (Amendment—Donation from Foreign State Entity) 2024, currently before the Knesset, on the United Kingdom’s overseas development assistance to Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about use of overseas aid to support women’s rights in Iraq

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 6th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking through Official Development Assistance to support the rights of women and girls in Iraq, including in Iraqi Kurdistan.

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Bishop of London advocates for assessment of cuts to development aid

On 26th February 2025, the Bishop of London responded to a government statement on defence spending, urging that an assessment take place to identify the risks posed by cuts to development aid:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I refer to my entry in the register of interests: I am the chair of Christian Aid. I am very privileged to follow the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, because I think we need to reject this false choice between defence spending and development spending. They are not competing priorities. This is not just about reputation. Properly used development funding helps to prevent conflict. It tackles instability and provides a greater and more just world. We have heard the concern that cutting aid in this way risks exacerbating instability and leads to conflict. Will the Government not just make an assessment of the outcomes of this cut in funding but make a proper assessment about the risk of increased insecurity, instability and conflict as a result of the cut?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about official development assistance spending

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 21st October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked  His Majesty’s Government whether the plan to allocate additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) for (1) 2024–25, and (2) 2025–26, to compensate for the share of ODA being spent on refugees in the United Kingdom.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about development aid to Myanmar

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much they donated in Official Development Assistance to Myanmar in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, (5) 2021, (6) 2022, and (7) 2023.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab, FCDO): The UK provided more than £42 million in Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) in Myanmar in the financial year 2023/24.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about funding to address food insecurity in Sudan and neighbouring countries

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 21st May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government whether they will increase multi-year funding to support the most food-insecure people in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about development aid to Ethiopia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 20th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to their funding announced on 5 February to end preventable deaths in Ethiopia, what consideration they have given to increasing investments to prevent malnutrition in Ethiopia and its long-term health and development impacts on women and children.

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