Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the localisation of bilateral development programmes by increasing the amount of aid delivered through local organisations.

On 27 April, I [Minister Mitchell] launched our campaign to re-invigorate the UK's leadership on international development. I pledged to work in patient, long-term partnership with people and governments around the world. We recognise that we need to transform our development partnerships, and that sustainable development must be led locally.

Strengthening partnerships with national and local organisations, to boost impact and sustainability, builds on our commitments to the 2011 Busan Partnership and the 2016 Grand Bargain. We have also been vocal advocates of the OECD Development Assistance Committee Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance, which promotes investing in local civil society leadership.

Our 2022 International Development Strategy affirmed that those who benefit from our work must have a voice in what we do, and how we do it. The difficult reforms and good policies that drive progress must be locally owned. Design, decision-making and delivery should involve local partners, who understand the context of the challenges to be addressed.

We are reviewing our approach to central support for civil society. The future of our programming will align with strategic priorities including reducing bureaucracy and supporting patient and locally led development.