To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what process the percentage of 0.5 of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance was decided.
Answered on
2 December 2024
The Government remains committed to restoring ODA spending to 0.7% of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow, but the latest OBR forecasts show that ODA fiscal tests which determine a return to 0.7% are not due to be met within this Parliament. HMT has therefore set departmental ODA budgets which enable the UK to spend 0.5% of GNI in calendar years 2024 and 2025. On current forecasts, this will mean spending £13.7 billion on ODA in 2024. These plans strike an appropriate balance between fiscal responsibility at home and our responsibility to support the most vulnerable, using ODA resources to save lives whilst tackling key global challenges such as climate change, conflict, and epidemics. The UK will remain one of the most generous development assistance donors amongst the G7.