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Press Release

4 April 2008

UK keeps aid promises to the world's poor

ODA figures show UK on track to meet commitments two years early

New figures published today by the Department for International Development show that the UK Government will be rapidly increasing aid, keeping its promises to fight global poverty.

The UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending is set to exceed £9 billion by 2010, representing 0.56% of Gross National Income (GNI), a rise of more than £4 billion over the next three years.

Last October’s Comprehensive Spending Review settlement means the UK is on track to spend 0.7% of national income on development by 2013, two years ahead of the EU target.

Commenting on the ODA figures, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said:

“The UK is keeping its promises to the world’s poor, helping millions of people to escape poverty, children to go to school and preventing avoidable disease. Thanks to the CSR settlement, DFID now has the largest development budget in the UK’s history.”

Since 2004 over half of new UK ODA, excluding debt relief, has been spent in Africa. Early delivery of promises on debt relief for poor countries caused a spike in the figures for 2006 with UK ODA equivalent to 0.51% of GNI.

In 2007, UK ODA was 0.36% of GNI, rising to 0.43% of GNI in 2008 and 0.48% of GNI in 2009, on track to meet our promises. By 2010, excluding debt relief, the UK will have spent cumulatively an additional £12.5 billion of new ODA. Over half of this will be spent in Africa meaning over £6 billion of new ODA.

Douglas Alexander added:

“There is a large and challenging agenda for global partners in 2008. Internationally we need rapid increases in aid to continue the global effort to reduce poverty. We will be working with our EU partners, through the G8 and with others involved in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals to ensure all countries are on track.”

Six ways DFID’s aid is working to fight global poverty
More children are in primary school – 17 million more in Bangladesh, 6 million in Ethiopia and over 5 million in Afghanistan; By the end of 2006, 2 million people in developing countries were receiving Antiretroviral Treatment for HIV, almost double the number in 2005; Bringing clean water to over 2.5 million people in India, Pakistan and Iraq; Saving 5 million lives by immunising against common diseases through the International Finance Facility for Immunisation; Providing £4 million to strengthen and reform Sierra Leone’s civil service as well as £8 million to support a joint DFID/WB/EC decentralisation programme to improve the capacity of local government; and In 28 countries that have benefited from debt relief, spending on poverty reduction programmes, like health and education, were almost three times greater in 2007 than in 1999 ($5.9 billion to $16.5 billion).

Six ways DFID’s aid is working to fight global poverty

More children are in primary school – 17 million more in Bangladesh, 6 million in Ethiopia and over 5 million in Afghanistan;

By the end of 2006, 2 million people in developing countries were receiving Antiretroviral Treatment for HIV, almost double the number in 2005;

Bringing clean water to over 2.5 million people in India, Pakistan and Iraq;

Saving 5 million lives by immunising against common diseases through the International Finance Facility for Immunisation;

Providing £4 million to strengthen and reform Sierra Leone’s civil service as well as £8 million to support a joint DFID/WB/EC decentralisation programme to improve the capacity of local government; and

In 28 countries that have benefited from debt relief, spending on poverty reduction programmes, like health and education, were almost three times greater in 2007 than in 1999 ($5.9 billion to $16.5 billion).

Notes to editors

ODA is the internationally agreed classification of aid. The primary reason for the decline in UK ODA in 2007 is the result of lower levels of debt relief but the UK is still on track. In 2006 the UK gave more than £1.9 billion in debt relief, primarily to Nigeria and Iraq; this fell to £39 million in 2007. For further details on the UK’s ODA figures 2007 (72 kb). For details of global ODA figures issued by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD

For information on DFID’s CSR settlement please see The 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review: Meeting the aspirations of the British people.

At the G8 meeting at Gleneagles in 2005 hosted by the UK, the world’s richest countries agreed to a doubling of aid by 2010 – an extra $50 billion worldwide and £25 billion for Africa.

Press Release

UK keeps aid promises to the world's poor

ODA figures show UK on track to meet commitments two years early

Six ways DFID’s aid is working to fight global poverty

Notes to editors

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