Official Development Assistance: Vulnerable Children

Baroness Anelay of St Johns Excerpts

Monday 23rd June 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the impact on vulnerable children of cuts to official development assistance.

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

My Lords, to fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the Government have taken the decision in the current fiscal circumstances to reduce our official development assistance budget. We remain fully committed to tackling global challenges and, as a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Government will continue to champion the promotion, protection and realisation of children’s rights at home and overseas.

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Con)]

My Lords, in welcoming that final commitment, I ask the Minister whether she agrees that children who have access to nutrition, education and health services are the very bedrock on which safe societies and strong economies are built? If so, can she give positive consideration to UNICEF UK’s call this month for the Government to allocate at least 25% of ODA to child-focused programmes, because it considers that that could moderate the impact of the Government’s cuts?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness again and should just say how well regarded she remains in the department; when I saw this Question this morning, there were many kind comments about her. She is absolutely right to remind us of the importance of this, and particularly of nutrition. The UK led the recent Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris compact on the integration of nutrition. We are currently working through the allocations, exactly who will get how much funding and how that will affect our programming, but I thank the noble Baroness for reminding us of the importance of this.