26 June 2020
Dear Sir,
The published '2020 Aid Transparency Index' ('Merger of Dfid and Foreign Office risks lack of transparency over £14bn aid budget' - 24 June 2020) is a clear reminder that if UK Aid is to really benefit people living in poverty and be accountable to UK citizens, we need to know how it is being spent and the difference it is making to people’s lives.
DFID was once again near the top of global rankings for transparency, while aid via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was again worryingly near the bottom.
As UK Aid is spent by more and more departments, the UK government must commit to the highest levels of transparency across the whole portfolio.
To ensure this, it’s critical that the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary maintains the Independent Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI) and establishes an Overseas Aid committee in Parliament.
We need to see a levelling up, not a levelling down, in the accountability of UK aid.
Christine Allen
Director, CAFOD
This letter first appeared in The Daily Telegraph on 26 June 2020.
NOTES TO EDITORS
For media enquiries please contact Nana Anto-Awuakye: nanto-awuakye@cafod.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)207 095 5456 Mobile: +44 (0)7799 477 541 or CAFOD out-of-hours media hotline: +44 (0)7919 301 429.
CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas International. Across the world we bring hope and compassion to poor communities, standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice. Because we work through the local Church, we can reach people and places that others can’t.
ENDS///