Statement on the UK Government’s cut to Official Development Assistance

In a rapidly evolving global health landscape, The George Institute for Global Health welcomes the UK Government’s ambitious plans to “turbocharge” domestic medical research - expanding access to health data and positioning the UK as a global powerhouse for clinical trials. These efforts have the potential to significantly accelerate scientific breakthroughs and improve health outcomes across the country. At the same time, we join partners worldwide in calling for the UK Government to reconsider its decision to cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income, which threatens the health and wellbeing of communities around the world - particularly those facing the biggest challenges.

Sustaining adequate levels of ODA is essential for advancing global health equity and improving outcomes for populations that are frequently marginalised and overlooked - such as older persons, women and girls, and individuals living with disabilities - who face an increased risk of major healthcare conditions. This aligns with the UK’s enduring commitment to the right to health and its pledge to leave no one behind, as articulated in the Global Health Strategic Framework (2023–2025). Moreover, sustained investment in ODA is critical to maintaining the UK’s leadership in global health, including its role in generating robust and policy-relevant evidence. Investments in global health research and development are investments in our economy, delivering real-world benefits by protecting the health, safety and prosperity of people in the UK and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role of research in addressing global health emergencies, driving breakthroughs in vaccine development, testing, diagnostics, and our understanding of the virus.

“

Beyond immediate and significant humanitarian concerns, reducing ODA funding will impact the UK’s ability to foster international research partnerships and tackle critical health challenges. These cuts will weaken global health security, limit the UK’s capacity to respond to emerging health threats - including climate-related health risks, non-communicable diseases and injuries, and infectious diseases - and diminish its influence in shaping global research and policy

By:

Emma Feeny

Director, Impact & Engagement, The George Institute for Global Health

ODA has been instrumental in strengthening global resilience and supporting successful collaborations between the UK and low- and middle-income countries through initiatives such as the Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund. These programmes have driven innovation, helped find solutions to complex global challenges such as the interplay between climate, health and multimorbidity, and contributed to progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Since the government’s announcement on ODA, we have already seen a pausing of funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for research aimed at strengthening health systems and enhancing health resilience.

UK universities have established extensive global research collaborations supported by ODA funding, and we have seen first-hand the transformative impact of these partnerships. Through the NIHR Global Health Research Centre on Environmental Change and Non-Communicable Diseases, we are collaborating with partners in Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh to improve primary healthcare and essential public health services for communities experiencing rapid environmental change. Our work has supported communities to advocate for their right to good health, while strengthening researcher capacity across all country partners - including the UK. 

“

As a research institute based in a lower-middle income country, we have seen first-hand the power of ODA funding to strengthen capacities at the individual, institutional, and network levels. The support we received to establish the Global Health Research Centre with Imperial College London enables us to offer interdisciplinary research training for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and emerging research leaders, while promoting gender equity. Given the growing and complex threats to health globally, continued investments are crucial to ensure the next generation of researchers is ready to respond.

By:

Professor Vivekanand Jha

Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health India

The long-term benefits of development-focused research far outweigh the short-term financial savings. The previous UK Government recognised not only that events overseas affect people at home and have significant global human and economic consequences, but that the UK is uniquely placed to help address these challenges at source, using -- among other things - our scientific expertise.¹  

We call on the UK Government to maintain and invest in its partnerships around the world and to reconsider these cuts to ODA, which ultimately - as former Minister for International Development Annaliese Dodds has said - will remove food and healthcare from desperate people, deeply harming the UK's reputation.²

As a leading independent global health and medical research institute, we remain committed to ensuring the cost-effectiveness of ODA-funded research and working with the Government to maximise its impact for communities in need.

References

[1] International development in a contested world: ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change – A White Paper on International Development.

[2] Anneliese Dodds’ resignation letter in full - Politics.co.uk