Watchdog Says UK Not Prioritising Agenda 2030 ‘Gender-Specific Programming’ in £11.6 Billion Climate Aid

UK Watchdog Criticizes Lack of Priority on Gender-Specific Programming in £11.6 Billion Climate Aid for Agenda 2030

February 29, 2024 TruthUSA

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact expressed concerns over the government’s ability to deliver its heavily backloaded spending plan.

A UK aid watchdog criticized the government for lacking enough Agenda 2030 “gender-specific programming” in its £11.6 billion international climate finance commitment.

In a report released recently, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) highlighted concerns that the government may struggle to fulfill its commitment to global climate action for developing countries and the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all U.N. member states in 2015, aims to provide a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.” Its 17 SDGs focus on objectives like ending hunger and achieving gender equality to enable those “left behind” to reach their full human potential.

The UK government affirms its commitment to delivering £11.6 billion over a five-year period until 2025–2026, as pledged in 2019.

Despite this, the watchdog noted that the government has made changes in how it calculates the target and reviewed existing aid programs to include as international climate finance (ICF).

External stakeholders expressed reduced trust in UK climate leadership due to uncertainties about meeting the multi-billion-pound commitment and changes in measurement methods, as well as scaling back domestic net zero policies.

Gender Appears to Be Decreasing

The report mentioned that the British International Investment (BII), the UK government’s development finance institution, will contribute £266 million to ICF.

Approximately 70 percent of BII’s portfolio is in equity investments, with 57 percent of that allocated to projects in Africa.

BII has invested in initiatives such as a $5 million debt facility in Kenya for 100 electric buses and $9.8 million in Planet Solar, Sierra Leone’s largest solar farm. Its climate finance portfolio has increased from $812 million in 2020 to $1.43 billion in 2022.

‘Gender-Specific Programming’

Despite these efforts, ICAI’s report pointed out the lack of sufficient “gender-specific programming” in the government’s international climate finance commitment.

It highlighted that 48 percent of ICF programs do not utilize the “gender marker,” critical for monitoring bilateral aid in support of SDGs’ gender equality commitments according to the OECD-DAC.

The review also raised concerns about the reduction in foreign aid spending from 0.7 percent to 0.5 percent in 2021, with a significant portion allocated to accommodation and support for asylum seekers and refugees in 2022.

Climate Change

ICAI identified 12 relevant SDGs in its review, emphasizing Goal 7 on “ensuring access to clean and affordable energy” and the need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

Chief Commissioner Tamsyn Barton expressed concerns about the government’s accounting methods and the provision of new funds for climate finance commitments, emphasizing the importance of assisting vulnerable countries in adapting to climate change.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for a response, and PA Media contributed to the report.

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